Baby Bending
by p-sama7
Summary: Sokka has always had bad luck. He might just be the meat and sarcasm guy but after getting captured, twice, he finds himself becoming the meat, sarcasm, and single father guy. Mpreg. Zuko/Sokka.
1. Control

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or it's characters.

This is a fic that I've actually have had written for a while now, just sitting on my computer chilling. I finally decided to post it and I hope you guys enjoy it!

**Warning: This is a guy/guy story! This story also involves non-con, only in the first chapter, and mpreg so you have been warned. **

Author's note: I in no way condone non-con or rape and am only using the situation of that in this chapter alone in the story. This is also my first…and probably **only** mpreg story I'll ever write so please be gently. I just had the idea in my head and had to do it.

ooo

Chapter One: Control

ooo

Sokka groaned as he felt the ground move under his back. The rocks bit against his skin through his tunic and for once he was glad that his hands hadn't been tied behind his back. He opened his eyes to see the stars smiling down at him before he moved his eyes to see the back of three komodo-rhinos.

That's right….he had gotten captured….

"Ouch!" Sokka groaned after he went over a particularly sharp rock.

His feet and hands were tied and then connected to a chain that was hooked around one of the beast's saddles where he had fallen off on his third attempt to escape the soldiers. The fire benders had decided to leave him on the ground after that, since he seemed so desperate to fall off their animals.

The avatar gang had landed in a small port city only that morning before they were spotted by the soldiers. The group of three had decided to split up, making it harder for the fire nation soldiers to follow them but then Sokka had heard Katara scream a few streets away from him.

Aang already had Appa in the air by the time Sokka had found the soldiers trying to drag his sister away and he did what any older brother would do. He attacked the soldier holding his sister screaming at her to run, she wouldn't leave him behind at first but after Sokka promised to catch up with them she ran away in tears.

Sokka briefly wondered if he was going to be able to keep that promise before his slow dragging came to stop and he realized he was next to a very big and very familiar fire nation ship at the docks.

"Just great…." The water tribe teen muttered before he was pulled to his feet.

MMMMMM

"FOR THE LAST TIME UNCLE!" Prince Zuko turned around and basically snarled at his friendly relative. "I DO NOT NEED ANY OF YOUR TEA!"

"But nephew…" Iroh was about to go into an anecdote about patience when a helmsman walked into the room with a small bow.

"We are making port now prince Zuko…" The helmsman started but left his sentence unfinished to test the prince's mood.

"And?" Zuko snapped before he heard his uncle cough and the teen took a long calming breath.

"It appears Admiral Zhao is already at the port and he would like to board as soon as we are docked."

The temperature in the room raised a few degrees letting the helmsman know he was dismissed before Zuko turned to his uncle in aggravation. "Why is he here?"

"Even his ships need to make port for supplies Zuko." Iroh said with wisdom but the look on the older man's face told his nephew Iroh was just as unhappy about Zhao's presence. "But keep your eyes open my nephew, a man like Zhao is always up to something."

"Don't worry uncle." Zuko stated before he made his way to the deck. His ship had started to slow down drastically and that meant it was only a matter of time before the bastard Zhao was going to be there.

It was pretty late into the night when Zuko walked out; viewing the small port town at dark would have made an almost beautiful sight if it hadn't been greeted with Zhao walking onto the banished prince's ship.

"What do you want?"

"You really have a way with manners, Zuko." Zhao almost purred as he walked across the deck so that he was next to the teen. "I just thought I would come tell you in person that you already missed the avatar, he ran away from this town hours ago."

"WHAT?" Zuko turned so that he was face to face with Zhao. The prince opened his mouth to continue screaming before his mind suddenly caught up, the gold eyes flashing back in forth in thought as he regarded the older man. "And you are not chasing him because?"

"Me?" Zhao stated in mock disinterest. "I just happened to find something interesting in the town so I was taking my time leaving. I came up here to let you know it looked like he was heading west, in case you wanted to try and get a head start."

Zuko stayed silent as Iroh walked out and started a meaningless conversation with the bastard.

Found something interesting?

In a small port town?

More interesting that chasing after the Avatar?

Zuko watched as Zhao and Iroh insulted each other with out actually saying anything mean. Whatever the Admiral had, it had to deal with the Avatar.

Zuko was sure of it.

"Do you have something you need to say to me?" Zhao turned smugly to the banished prince and Zuko's nostrils flared.

"No." Zuko's ponytail whipped behind him as he went into the hall and made his way to his own personal cabin, not caring that he was being rude. He knew Iroh would dismiss Zhao soon enough and while the admiral was out of his site he was going to plan.

Zuko needed to find out what Zhao wasn't telling him.

MMMMMM

Zhao couldn't hide the smirk on his face as he made his way down to the bottom of his ship. He had yet to see his prisoner but he had felt obligated to harass Zuko first, after all they were fire nation brethren.

"What?" Zhao stopped as he looked at an empty cell, he glared at the guards who were either side of him and the quickly ran to the cell, swinging the door open and running in to inspect where the prisoner had ran.

They didn't want to be the ones to suffer Zhao's wrath.

Sokka held his breath as he tried to hold onto the metal beam as the guards ran in underneath him, it was really hard to get a sturdy hold when his hands were chained together but luckily they hadn't chained his feet. He took a deep and silent breath as one guard stood right beneath him, he could do this.

Zhao watched with mild interest as the water tribe peasant dropped onto the guards sending them both to the ground before he kicked his feet up in the air, hopping to his feet just in time to duck and roll under the bout of fire the other guard sent.

Sokka rolled and ran for the open cell door, slamming it shut behind him before backing into something solid, and it definitely wasn't a wall. 'Oh, man….' Sokka thought as he looked up into the face of Zhao.

"Well what do we have here?" Zhao reached down to place his hand on the small boy when Sokka slid away from away from the older man. Sokka spared him a second glance before he took off running down the hall, hoping to fate would finally be on his side this time.

Zhao just smirked before he headed in the opposite direction, telling the guard who ran over to see what the commotion was to not worry. The two idiots who got themselves locked into the cell could stay there for a night; the boy however, would not escape this ship.

Sokka turned down another hall and another…then another. He could feel the sweat slide down his skin as he made yet another turn in the unnatural warm ship. He was so lost. He kicked open a door to find stairs and took another deep breath. It was hard enough to not make a sound with the medal chains around his hands! There was a commotion not too far from Sokka before he started up the stairs deciding to keep moving instead of giving up.

He could get away!

He paused as he found a door with a small window in it, he peaked over it to see the coast was clear before he pushed in opened and rolled on the floor into a hiding place between two boxes.

He just needed to find a window!

Sokka heard footsteps not too far from him and ducked in another hallway. A dead end! There was a door but nowhere else to go, the teen looked around quickly as the steps got closer before pushing the door open and shutting it behind him.

The room was huge, it had fire nation banners decorating the walls, there was a fire in the middle of the room, a table on one side and then a bed on the other. Sokka released the breath he had been holding as the steps passed by and he looked again at the bed.

A window!

Sokka didn't waste anytime as he jumped onto the bed and ran to the window; he pushed the covering open and managed to poke his head out to see…

He was very high up.

Sokka groaned as he felt any chance of escape slowly leave him. There was not way he could survive a drop like, especially since the ship was still docked, if he hit the dock from this height he would be lucky if he just got two broken legs.

The air was cool from the window and Sokka took a deep breath. He wouldn't have to find another way out; he could just go back out there and get on a lower floor. There had to be other windows in this ship.

He could do this.

Sokka jumped as he heard the distinct noise of metal locks working. He turned around quickly to see Zhao locking the door, the older man sighed as if he hadn't even noticed Sokka yet and the water tribe teen didn't move. He had to think of a way out.

And now.

"If you had wanted to talk privately with me, all you had to do was ask." Zhao smirked at Sokka as the teen's eyes widened. "Or did you want to jump out of that window?"

Sokka tensed, there had been no fire yet, maybe he should chance to jump, at least that way he had a small chance of getting out unscathed. Before he had even made up his mind his body was already scrambling for the window. He scraped his arm against the harsh metal but he was almost half way out when he felt a hot hand on his ankle.

Sokka yelped as he was pulled roughly back inside, hitting his chin on the way down before he rolled over. The chain holding his wrist was grabbed before he could hit his attacker, the metal heating up to the point where it burned his skinned and the water tribe teen scream.

"I'm beginning to think that you don't like me." Zhao let go of the chains and was about to hit the teen when he received a quick kick in the stomach.

Sokka rolled out from under the older man, hitting the floor with a thud. He tried to scramble up but suddenly there was a hand grabbing him by his hair and pulling him back up. The teen turned to elbow his attacker but was pulled forward. Sokka tried to force himself up but then there was a strong blow in his back.

"Gaah!" Sokka coughed, his body going limp as he tried to catch his breath.

"That's better." Zhao smirked as he flipped the body over on his mattress to see piercing blue eyes glaring up at him.

He trailed one of his pale fingers down the tan skin with a smirk. The prisoner wasn't a bad looker either. He stroked the cheek earning a surprised look from the boy beneath him and smiled.

"I demand you release me!" Sokka yelled.

There was a swift slap and Zhao enjoyed the slight sting in his hand as he stared down at the teen that was looking defiantly away from him. "I expect your cooperation peasant."

"I will not help you." Sokka muttered quietly before a hand gripped his chin tightly turning his face so he had to look at the dark cold eyes. The finger dug into Sokka's skin forcing tears into Sokka's eyes.

"It is not an option."

Zhao's fingers burned his skin. Sokka tried not to give the bastard any pleasure from his pain by remaining silent. He closed his eyes trying to think of way out of this situation. The grip on his face loosened as his head was pushed to the side.

"I plan on keeping you here until that Avatar comes to rescue you." Zhao traced his hand down Sokka's cheek, dipping along his neck before moving the tunic to show the teen's chest. "And when he comes, I will capture him."

Sokka froze as the hand continued to push the fabric apart.

Zhao stopped his hand on the teen's stomach. His body was warming up without any order to. The Admiral smiled as he looked at the teen's face to see that the peasant was now staring straight at him in confusion.

"I don't see why I can't have my fun before I get my prize."

"Stop touching me!" Sokka yelled before there was a calloused hand around his throat silencing of any further protest. He gasped before he was suddenly turned over. Sokka's face was forced down onto the mattress.

"Don't wear yourself out too soon; I would hate to do all the work." Zhao pulled Sokka's arms back so that they twisted uncomfortably before he grabbed the kid's silly tunic. "What an awful blue color."

Zhao smirked as the fabric caught on fire, ignoring the muffled screams of the teen underneath him. He watched how the young muscles twitch before they were burned, with a quick flick of his wrist the fire was out and the tunic was almost gone.

The prisoner's skin was red from the assault and Zhao found pleasure as he heard something like a broken sob. The kid was crying and he hadn't even gotten to the fun part.

"I would like to warn you, since I am a kind man, that what I am about to do might hurt." Zhao smiled as the body trembled under him, he grabbed the kid's pants and was about to pull them down when suddenly he found a foot in his face.

He growled as he grabbed the foot, burning the ankle as his temper flared.

"Get off of me you psycho, you pervert, you fire nation scum!" Sokka made another attempt at a kick before it was dodged and suddenly there was a heavy body on top of his.

"I changed my mind, this IS going to hurt." Zhao promised as he pushed down what was left of Sokka's cloths and positioned himself over the kid. "And you should consider yourself lucky that I am doing this to you, I don't choose to do this with anyone."

"AHHH!" Sokka tried to attack the man behind him, it hurt, it hurt way too much, his chained hands tried to scratch the other man.

To do any harm possible to his attacker.

"Get off of me!" Sokka sobbed as he felt another thrust. "AHHHH!"

"I'm all the way, that wasn't so hard now was it?" Zhao pulled the peasant's hips up towards him making the teen do some of the work. "You know, from this angle you almost look like a girl."

Zhao felt the body still underneath him and moaned as he felt himself come close. He leaned over the body to see the teen had passed out.

Well that wasn't very polite.

Sokka woke with a great pain and a burning smell as his back was being seared. He felt the older man move in him and gasped for air before he felt the man tense. Something else was their, something else was inside him.

Sokka felt sick.

"And now, let's see if I can get you to enjoy this." Zhao smiled menacingly.

MMMM

Sokka opened his eyes only to wish he was asleep again, or maybe even dead.

The light outside let him know that he had lived into the next day.

"Oh you're finally awake?" Zhao smirked as he watched the teen tried to move his hands only to hiss in pain. "I hope you don't mind but I have to leave you for a few moments, I will be back shortly though."

Sokka wanted to say something but his throat begged him to remain silent; all he could do was watch the sick man leave the room. He forced himself up and realized there was a bath now set up in the room. He must have brought that in the room while Sokka was out.

Sokka glanced at his body; he was over in burns, bruise, blood, and another substance that he did not want to consider. He tried to make his way over to the bath only to collapse helplessly to the floor.

"Gyyaah!" Sokka sobbed as the pain attacked him before he forced himself up on his knees. He managed to crawl slowly over to the bath, gasping as he touched the warm water. He could do this.

He could clean himself.

He tried to find the easiest way into the water but even thinking about lifting his legs over the side was painful, he managed to almost slide into the tub, movement was much easier after he was submerged in the water.

Sokka found looked across the room at the bed to see what was left of his cloths, they were shredded on the floor. He let the warm water cleanse him as he closed his eyes.

So that was sex.

No.

The downside to being smart was knowing when something was wrong. When something was off and forcing you to face the truth because you knew it was the truth. Sokka wished he could convince himself that it had only been an assault but that wasn't the case.

That had been rape.

He had been raped.

Sokka choked back a pained noise as he floated in the water.

There was nothing pleasurable about being taken from behind, about being forced to into a physical act by another. Zhao had chanted over and over about how much he loved sex but…

There was no way that could be considered sex.

"I see you managed to get out of bed." Zhao's cold voice made Sokka realize the older man had returned. "Are you ready for another round?"

MMMM

Zuko climbed up the side latter of Zhao's ship, water from the ocean dripping off of him and his mask. He had to swim under the dock in order to get by the guards unnoticed. He heard from one of the merchants that Zhao was planning on leaving the dock the next day and Zuko knew he had to get a head start on the admiral after stealing whatever the admiral had.

His crew had already made any necessary work on the ship and restocked the hold, he had told them to be ready to sail in an hour.

Zuko peaked over the side of the deck to see only one guard on the other side of the ship. Without wasting another second Zuko made his way to the door and slipped in before the guard even turned around. Once inside the ship Zuko only had two options.

Up or down.

Up would be Zhao's quarters where Zuko was sure the Admiral would keep anything he felt valuable but then again, down meant the prisoner cells and cargo holds.

What if is was down there?

Before Zuko could come a decision though voices were heard around the corner, and getting closer.

"I heard the prisoner is in pretty bad shape."

"What shape do you expect it to be in after the Admiral got a hold of him?"

So it was a prisoner! Zuko slid behind a door and waited for the two soldiers to pass by him before he made his way down.

"The Admiral is at the helm, he wanted me to take the prisoner food in his quarters…."

Now he had to head up! Zuko swore under his breath as the conversation faded away, not bothering to follow to see if the prisoner was at a different location. He would find it.

Zuko found his way to Zhao's quarters without much disruption. It appeared the gracious Admiral let his crew have the night on the town in order to celebrate his prize. Zuko smirked as he imagined the look on Zhao's face with the prisoner was taken out right from under his nose.

"Consider the water a present." The cruel sounds of Zhao's voice stopped Zuko in his tracks as he peaked around the corner to see the door to the Admiral's room was open and there were two guards standing outside. "Food will be coming for you in a few minutes; I expect you to be clean and fed by the time I return."

Zhao turned to his two guards outside the door. "No one is allowed in there and he is certainly not allowed out."

Zuko jumped up so that he was holding onto the bars above the hallway. He held his breath as the Admiral walked by before he smirked over at the two guards.

This was too easy.

The guards knocked out quickly after he jumped on both of them and Zuko had to remind himself that another one would be coming with food in only a matter of minutes as he unlocked the door and swung in open.

Sokka hadn't moved from the bed when he looked up to see the blue spirit staring back him.

It had to be a very sick joke.

"Stay away!" Sokka yelled as he jumped on the floor to fight whoever this was only to have his knees give out from underneath him. He tried to hold back the broken sob as he felt pain over take his body.

He also realized how naked he was in that moment when the masked person threw a guards shirt at him. Sokka couldn't put it on; his hands were still chained together even his tunic had been burned in the process of Zhao's violation.

Whatever Zuko had been expecting to find it certainly wasn't the water tribe boy to be naked in Zhao's room. He stood frozen for a second before he realized the chains and pulled out his two swords. The other teen visible tensed at Zuko approached him but Zuko didn't bother explaining as he broke the chains in have with one swipe and the teen quickly covered himself.

"What's going on?" There was a yell in the hallway and Zuko cursed as he realized the food was probably already there. He looked at the water tribe peasant before grabbing onto to the other teen, ignoring any protest he received as he hefted and tossed the teen out of the window before jumping out himself.

"AAAHHHHH!" Sokka screamed as he slid down the side of the boat, his hands trying to desperately grab onto anything only to be grabbed by the blue spirit again. Zuko's feet touched the side of the boat as he started to running, using the momentum of their fall to run off the side and into the water instead of onto the ground.

Sokka choked as he was surrounded by the freezing water, a hand grabbed his wrist and jerked him away from the boat under water. Sokka found himself near another boat that was moving away from the harbor before he was pulled out of the water. He choked and coughed as he tried to fight off the blue spirit, not caring that it had saved him from another encounter with Zhao.

"Will you stop struggling?!" The familiar angry voice froze Sokka as he looked at the spirit that threw him down on the deck, the teen didn't have a chance to scream out before everything went black.

MMMMM

Sokka groaned as he snuggled into the warmth blankets. He opened his eyes and was immediately blinded by light that seemed to be set on destroying his retinas so early in the morning.

Day two of his separation from the group.

"I see you are awake." Sokka jumped up and immediately regretted it as he cried out in pain. He curled onto his side; he gasped as he opened his eyes and stared at the old man across the room that was looking at him in surprise. "Are you okay?"

Sokka forced himself up as he tried to get off the bed. He needed to get out of here before prince psycho came back. It hurt to stand but he would get out, the fire guard's shirt he was wearing made it past his knees as he finally stood. The old man made no motion to stand from the table he was sitting beside.

"Care for some tea?" Iroh tried a different approach as the young water tribe looked around the room.

"I…" Sokka started, his hair falling in front of his face making him realized Zhao had broken his hair tie. His clothes too…they were gone…….and his boomerang……Sokka didn't realize he was crying until a tear dripped off his cheek.

It was always one thing after another for him! He had just wanted to protect his sister, he had just wanted to keep her away from the fire benders; was that so wrong? And now this! First he had been forced to endure Zhao and just when he thought, no matter how briefly, that he was free he had ended up not only on another fire nation ship but the bastard Zuko's?

Karma really did hate him.

Iroh just sat and watch quietly as the young man broke down. Sokka fell on his knees and gave off a muffled scream as he shook on the floor. Iroh had heard about how Zuko had found Sokka and while he was unsure if his nephew knew what that most likely meant, he knew how sick and distorted Zhao was.

The burns on the water tribe teen had been treated while he was asleep but there was only so much their medic could fix.

The teen finally stilled and Iroh got up from the floor and made his way over. He sighed as he lifted the teen and placed him back on the bed, tucking him back underneath the blankets.

Maybe he should talk to his nephew about letting the boy go at the next port.

When Sokka awoke the second time, not only was his body still hurting but now his head was pounding. The window beside the bed informed him that he had slept in and that it was now night. He rolled over, half expecting the old man to still be there but instead he found Zuko sitting on the floor.

The prince was Indian style and had his hands if front of him as if in deep meditation. The candles in front of the other teen moved with each breath Zuko made and Sokka just stared, trying to keep his breath low and even as if he was still asleep.

Sokka felt the warmth of the flames and despite himself, sighed.

"You're awake." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah…" Sokka muttered, ignoring how raw his throat felt at that second. He sat up, his body feeling better after the day of rest it had, he made sure he was covered by the shirt he was wearing before he looked back up at the prince.

"Where is the Avatar?"

"I don't know."

Zuko clenched his fists, the candles behind him flaring a bit before the teen took a deep breath. His uncle had instructed him to be calm when questioning the other teen, truthfully his uncle had asked that he didn't question the water tribe peasant but Zuko wasn't going let the peasant go without asking any questions.

"Tell me where the Avatar is, which way were you heading?"

"Why should I tell you?!" Sokka yelled before visible flinching as the flames behind Zuko flared.

"Because I saved you from Zhao!" Zuko yelled grabbing the front of the peasants borrowed shirt but then he was suddenly kicked up in the air, flipping over the younger teen, until his back hit the wall and he stared at the now wide eyed water tribe teen.

Sokka scooted away, realizing he had just flipped Zuko on the bed but before he fell off the bed he was suddenly grabbed and pull under Zuko as the prince hit him. The fight started suddenly enough, both struggling to stop the other before Zuko was rolled on his back. He grabbed the other teen's wrist, temporarily forgetting his uncle's words to tread carefully as he lifted his legs causing Sokka to hit his head against the metal wall making the other teen go limp on top of him.

Sokka groaned as he felt the hands around his wrist, he sat up panting as he looked down at Zuko who was underneath him. The other teen glaring up at him as his grip tightened as if daring Sokka to try something else.

Sokka watched as a bead of sweat rolled down Zuko's throat.

"I want you to-" Zuko was suddenly cut off when the water tribe teen placed their foreheads together, a clouded look in those blue eyes.

"Is this what you want?" Sokka's voice broke as he spoke, his body pressed against Zuko's suggestively. "Is this what you want from me?"

This is what Zhao wanted wasn't it, why should Zuko be looking for anything else?

Zuko let go of Sokka immediately as if he himself was scorched. He stared as the other teen sat up on top of him; Sokka's hands were shaking as he grabbed the fire benders robe. He parted it slightly exposing the pale chest of the prince, Zuko watched Sokka place his trembling hands on the exposed chest causing both of them to flinch.

"What are you doing?" Sokka froze as he stared at his hands, Zuko was staring at him and Sokka realized where his hands really were. "What are you trying to do?"

Was he really trying to seduce Zuko?

"I-I…" Blue eyes regarded the gold ones and then Sokka suddenly found himself on his back.

"What were you-" Zuko's voice wavered suddenly as lips brushed against each other.

Sokka needed this.

He didn't know why, he didn't really understand but he knew one thing, he needed this. He needed to do this with someone else, needed to be in control for a few minutes of his life before it was taken away from him.

He didn't know why he had the sudden urge to apologize to the bastard that had been chasing him and his friends for weeks but he did. Sokka opened his mouth before realizing he didn't want to explain himself before he pulled Zuko down into a kiss. The other teen was tense and seemingly lost in the whole encounter as Sokka arched up against him.

Zuko felt hot.

His lips felt sore as he pulled away from the teen before he forced their mouths together another time, forcing his tongue into the others mouth as hands pushed away the robe he was wearing. Zuko hissed as he felt himself press into the body beneath him.

He was hard.

Cloths came off easier than it should have been between two enemies. Zuko stared in horror at the marks across the younger teen's skin, burns and bruises. What was going on? When Zuko heard the other teen moan he realized he had no idea what he was doing, or why.

The only advice he had ever gotten was about girls, even if it had been so embarrassingly painful to get that talk from his uncle, it had been about girls. This peasant beneath him was obviously a boy.

Sokka felt Zuko hesitate and grabbed the other teen, flipping him down so that he was on his back, it was obvious that the prince did not like being beneath the peasant but Sokka changed his expression as he positioned Zuko under him.

It hurt.

It hurt just the same.

But this time Sokka was in control, he watched as the prince gasp beneath him. Zuko grabbed Sokka's hips and the teen almost grinned as he slid down the rest of the way making them both moan. Sokka gasp as he eyed the warm body beneath him, they were both panting and Zuko arched back exposing his neck to the teen on top of him.

Sokka was experiencing pleasure.

This was sex.

This was being vulnerable; it was pleasure through physical contact.

Zhao had been wrong.

This is what sex was.

Sokka trembled as he moved up and then down again. He couldn't go on like this. He couldn't keep his body moving like this but he didn't want to be on his stomach. He didn't want to be attacked from behind, didn't want to be forced down.

Never again.

He fell forward enjoying how Zuko thrust into him and placed a kiss at the others neck. Muttering exactly what he needed the other to do as they breathed. Zuko moved slow as the turned them over, his knowledge of Sokka's injuries in the situation still evident until Sokka smirked at him. The teen wrapped his legs around the others waste and layed back.

Zuko's breath hitched as he found a steady rhythm and it wasn't long before they both finished. Sokka having stroke himself to catch up to the prince before they finally separated. Sokka took a deep breath before he closed his eyes.

Zuko panted as he stared at the ceiling.

What the hell just happened?

The prince sat up and stared at the now sleeping boy next to him. He quickly stumbled out of the bed and grabbed his cloths, putting them on with a sense of urgency before he turned back to the other teen.

Uncle would most likely be here in the morning.

He couldn't leave him like that. Zuko left the room and returned shortly with a bowl of water and a rag before he quickly cleaned off Sokka, not bothering to linger too long on certain areas before he basically shoving the borrowed shirt over the teen and then throwing the blankets over the water tribe peasant.

Oh dear gawd…..he had just slept with a peasant.

A friend of the avatar.

His enemy.

Zuko almost ran out of the room, decided he needed to go take a bath, then go to the helm to see when they were going to be on land again.

MMMMMM

Sokka awoke to see that the sun was just starting to rise. He heard a small chinking noise and turned to see the old man was back sipping his tea.

"I assume you and my nephew had a good talk yesterday?" Iroh asked as he placed his delicious jasmine tea down. He had assumed that the talk went well when he had mentioned to Zuko the need to get more tea at the next stop and his nephew had just agreed.

Sokka blushed as he looked away from the older man.

Iroh took notice of this but said nothing about it, instead he mentioned the news he heard that morning. "We will make port in a few hours."

Sokka visibly perked up at that, not sure why he felt like he was going to be able to walk off the ship but Sokka was always an optimist.

Okay so he wasn't an optimist but for some reason Sokka felt like it wasn't going to be hard to get off this ship.

"I brought clothes for you to change into, I know they're not what you are used to but…" Sokka droned the old man's ramble out as he went to the cloths, flinching as his feet hit the floor but it hadn't been as bad as it was the first time.

Sokka picked up the red clothing assuming it belonged to one of the men on the ship before he glanced around the room for a place to change but saw there was none. He looked at the old man skeptically before Iroh laughed and picked up his tea, "I will be out on the deck, will you come and join me for a game of Pai Sho after you are done changing?"

"Uh…..sure?" Sokka watched the older man leave the room before he changed, flinching was he moved his sore muscles but he finished soon enough and opened the door to his…..holding room? Sokka didn't really know what to call it but he poked his head out to see that there was a guard waiting for him.

"Follow me." The guard stated coldly and Sokka did, glancing around as he went just in case something funny was up and he would need to run. The guard stopped in front of a door and Sokka bumped into him, he smiled sheepishly before opened the door to be greeted with a terrible amount of sunlight. Sokka blinked a few times before he glanced over to see the old man smiling at him.

"What is he doing out here?" Sokka jumped before he looked over towards the cold prince who was glaring near him.

Near him?

Prince Zuko was not looking him in eye? Sokka felt his face warm up before he shook his head and made his way to the older man.

"I invited him for a friendly game of Pai Sho." Iroh stated, he looked like he was about to start saying something else when his nephew came and stood beside the water tribe teen.

"As soon as we get to dock I expect you to leave." Zuko's voice was cold but the statement surprised both Iroh and Sokka.

"What? But nephew..."

"I can go? No 'where's the avatar?' no death threats?" Sokka's eye met Zuko's and for the first time in Sokka's life he saw prince Zuko embarrassed.

"I see land captain!" Zuko turned to nod at the helmsman before he grabbed Sokka by the arm dragging the other teen away from his uncle. "I need to talk to you before we get there."

"I'm so glad my nephew is making friends." Iroh laughed as the boys disappeared behind the door.

Sokka was pulled into the closest room which appeared to hold documents of some kind before younger teen was thrown against the wall closest to them. Zuko slammed his fist on either side of him and they both regarded each other with frowns.

"About yesterday….." The prince started and both teens looked away then.

"I-well you know…" Sokka laughed. "The past is the past so let's not dwell on it."

"Shut up!" Zuko hit the wall causing Sokka to go silent. Zuko took a deep calming breath…or a deep breath anyway. "I just wanted to say don't think that you mean anything to me because of that, next time I see you, I will attack you."

The water tribe teen didn't know why, but in that second, with threats spilling out of his mouth, Zuko looked cute.

Sokka regarded the other boy for a second before he grabbed the front of Zuko's robes and pulled the prince into a quick kiss before releasing him. The prince's face heated up as he regarded Sokka in surprise.

It was only a second before Sokka was shoved firmly against the wall, Zuko's mouth over his as Sokka pulled the other teen's ponytail before both of his wrists were shoved against the wall. Sokka opened his mouth willing as he kiss was deepened and then Zuko pulled away, he let go of Sokka and backed away quickly as if he had been burned.

The ship lurched suddenly as it slowed down to make port causing Zuko to fall forward again so that they were almost touching. Zuko growled and Sokka smiled sheepishly.

"Enemies, will attack, nothing confusing about this." Sokka repeated quickly before Zuko opened the door and left Sokka by himself.

The other teen took a deep breath before he followed the other teen out.

He needed to go find his friends.

MMMMM

Sokka traveled for two days on his own, he managed to get directions to the nearest town after running into a man who claimed to see the avatar, but the man had also talked about this Wu lady who told him the future so Sokka didn't know how much he could trust the crazy's information but anything was worth a shot.

What kind of town would put stock in what a fortune teller said?

Sokka groaned as he tripped over another root.

"Sokka?" The older teen jumped as he heard his sister's voice.

"Katara? Oh my gawd, Katara!" Sokka grabbed his sister in a tight hug, ignoring the pain from the tight grasp; before he was suddenly blown over by Appa. "I missed you too Appa!"

"Where have you been? What happened? How did you escape? How did you find us? Are you okay?" Katara already had her hands glowing as she touched her brother.

"Sokka!" Aang ran over to the two of them.

"You guys have no idea how happy I am to see you!" Sokka groaned as he fell back into Appa's fur, ignore Katara's mothering. It felt nice to have her heal the bruises on his face and neck, he might have to get her to work on the burns on his back later.

"But what happened?" Katara pressed on.

"Well….." Sokka felt a frown fall on his face. "I was taken to Zhao…..and then Zuko…" Sokka didn't want to go into the details. "But then I was….."

But should he tell them about Zuko? It wasn't like they would believe the fire bender had saved him from the Admiral but then what about the next time they met up? Zuko had made it clear that they were still going to be enemies next time they met.

"Sokka?"

"I'm sorry Katara…." Sokka sighed, not wanting to lie to his sister or his friend. "I was able to escape Zhao and kind of stowed away on a ship until I made it to the port town not too far from here. I ran into a man who ran into you guys and then met up with you guys."

"Sounds like an awesome adventure!" Aang smiled.

"No…not really." Sokka turned over so that he wasn't facing either of them. He couldn't tell them what he had gone through.

"Sokka…." Katara sounded worried but was nice enough to drop the subject. "We're going to go visit this Aunt Wu lady, she sounds interesting."

"What's so interesting about a fortune teller?" Sokka whined.

MMMMM

Sokka stared at the doors to the fortune teller's house.

They had already been in this town for a week, to make sure everything was settled after the volcano and all.

This Aunt Wu……she said that he would be the bringer of his own misfortune for the rest of his life? The nerve of this woman!

"Did you come here so I could read your fortune or are you here to rattle on about your science?" Wu's voice was calm as she watched the young man sigh.

"I just want to know what you think….is going to happen…..to me." Sokka groaned as the lady stepped aside and let him in. He was just curious; there was nothing wrong with that!

"Grab one of those bones and throw it into the fire." Aunt Wu instructed as she took a seat in front of the fire.

Sokka glanced over the small stack of bones before he grabbed at the one on the top. It shouldn't matter what bone he grabbed anyway. He tossed it into the small fire and took a seat across from her and waited.

And waited.

Sokka took a deep breath as he stared at the fire.

Nothing was happening to the bone, it was just sitting there as if it wasn't even being affected by the flame.

"Interesting." Aunt Wu smiled as the regarded the bone. "Very interesting."

"Why is it interesting?" Sokka asked, deciding to play along with it. He was here anyway.

"It seems that you will be blessed with a child." Aunt Wu smiled. "Congratulations."

"That's ridiculous!" Sokka scoffed.

Aunt Wu was about to say something when suddenly the bone cracked in half, there were no jagged edges; it was if a blade had sliced through it cleanly. Sokka looked at the crazy lady only to see her place a small hand over her mouth.

"What does that mean?"

Aunt Wu jumped at Sokka's voice as if she forgot he was there.

"I'm sorry….it appears……" She paused as if finding the right way to word this. "It appears that you…..."

"Just spit it out!" Sokka sighed before the lady was at his side grasping his arm tightly.

"Sokka, listen carefully to me." Aunt Wu closed her eyes and when she opened them again she smiled. "You are going to be blessed with a life."

The woman's hand moved to the teen's stomach as she touched it gently. "The bones tell me that you were recently put through great pain…." Sokka tensed as he glared at her hand. "But I want you to realize how lucky you are to be blessed with this chance."

"Sokka, child, you are pregnant."

Only one thought went thought Sokka's mind at that moment.

If there was one thing science could prove, it would be that men can not have babies.

MMMMM

They had been traveling for a few days before they ran into Bato. Sokka had been glad that he was able to see the older tribesman, it had been nice to talk about the past and he had really been angry at Aang for hiding the note from their father.

But he couldn't give up on the young monk yet.

Sokka rubbed his stomach as he walked ahead of Katara. They had just left Bato minutes ago and were going to return to Aang. In the brief moment of silence Sokka remembered the old lady's words.

There was no way he could be pregnant.

"Sokka, are you okay?" Katara smiled at her brother and Sokka smiled back.

"Yeah, sorry…I'm just hungry."

"You and food!" Katara laughed before they felt the ground rumble. Sokka stood in front of his sister before they saw a strange creature and even worse.

Prince Zuko.

The woman the prince was with was talking but Sokka didn't hear a word she said, instead he looked at the golden eyes he hadn't seen in almost a month.

"_Next time I see you, I will attack you."_

Sokka grabbed his sister's hand and he tried to get away before he felt a sharp pain in his side and his body went numb instantly. Sokka's first though was 'not again' but as he was swung across the saddle, Sokka found comfort in the way things were back to normal.

Nothing had changed.

Everything was really back to normal.

Zuko grabbed his limp body and dragged him over to the angry creature before he was tossed over so that he was beside Katara. The prince shouted at the woman and Sokka tried to grab his sister's hand but he really couldn't move a muscle.

Aang had been waiting for them at the monastery with the sisters and their perfume. Sokka groaned as he was finally able to get feeling in his limbs just as he watched Aang fight the prince. The perfume had been Sokka's idea, and the soon after that they were able to defeat the prince, his uncle, and the scary woman after he beast ran away.

Sokka sighed as he watched one of the sisters drag Zuko to a room before she left to go retrieve the other victims. The water tribe teen glanced around to see that Katara and Aang were still packing up Appa. He quickly made his way over to the room and poked his head in to see two golden eyes glaring at him.

"What do you want?" Zuko's voice was cold and harsh and Sokka couldn't help but shiver before he made his way into the room.

"I just thought I would come in here and tell you how proud I am." Sokka couldn't hide his sarcasm as he squatted down in front of the other teen. "You really keep your word about attacking us next time you saw me."

"What did you expect?" Zuko's voice was arrogant in every way and Sokka frowned.

"I…" Sokka's hand went reflexively to his stomach as he clenched his jaw. What had he been expecting?

"Did you get hurt?" The prince's question was almost unheard but Sokka's eyes widened as he looked at the paralyzed teen. Zuko's eyes were on Sokka's stomach.

"_Sokka, child, you are pregnant."_

"Oh dear god…" Sokka felt sick as Aunt Wu's words finally registered in his head. He was pregnant wasn't he….and if he was pregnant then that meant the kid was also…his head snapped back up to the other teen before he jumped back. "No way in hell!"

Sokka took a deep breath as he regarded Zuko. But aunt Wu was wrong right? There was no way a guy could be pregnant, not in a million years.

"Sokka?" Katara's voice called out from outside the room and Sokka flinched before he turned around and left the prince without explaining himself.

"We better head out to make up for lost time." Sokka stated as he climbed up Appa.

He needed some time to think.

MMMM

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And that's chapter one!

I'm actually really nervous about the whole mpreg thing because this was my first mpreg story. Not only that but it is my first 'Avatar the Last Airbender' fic and I really hope I managed to get the characters right!

Reviews greatly appreciated!


	2. Invasion

I do not own.

SORRY SORRY SORRY! I am going to upload multiple chapters this weekend to make up for lack of upload.

Been busy but thank you guys for all the great reviews. Thank you for all the tidbits but for this story I decided that I wanted to try and remain true to the show, obviously changing a good bit towards the end.

I hope you all still like it.

Enough of my talk.

PLEASE ENJOY.

MMMM

Chapter 2: Invasion

MMMM

The northern water tribe and been more than Sokka was expecting. He marveled at the structures they had built but at the same time felt a little bitter towards his kin who had obviously been doing better than his own tribe.

It was petty, Sokka knew it, but he couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

"How was princess Yue today?" Aang asked as he plopped down on his bed.

Sokka just sighed and rolled his eyes. He really liked her.

Really really liked her.

Sokka jumped up suddenly, startling both Aang and his sister as he glanced around the room. "I want sea prune stew."

"You've really been eating a lot of that since we got here; I'm surprised you're not sick of it yet." Katara laughed before she suddenly jumped to her feet. "Oh my god Sokka, are you okay?"

Sokka paused as she ushered him to a seat. He had been feeling pretty dizzy these past few days every now and then but nothing major. He was hungry all the time but that wasn't much different then his normal behavior.

Well, it was a little weird how much he wanted sea prune stew recently.

"Your nose is bleeding." Katara huffed as she moved his hand so that it was holding on to it and tilted his head back. "And you seem pretty pale; I'm going to go get Yugoda."

"Katara, I'm fine." Sokka started but his sister was already out of the room. He tried to look over at Aang while keeping his head back. "Am I that pale?"

"I haven't noticed." Aang stated slowly before adding, "But you seemed to be a little moodier recently."

If Sokka could see Aang, he would have glared at the air nomad. As it was, he settled for sighing.

"And you sigh a lot more too." Aang added lastly.

Sokka remained silent as he stared at the ice ceiling. They had been at the north pole for almost a month now, Katara and Aang usually busy with water bending practice while Sokka went to warrior training.

He placed his hand on his stomach and rubbed it tentatively. It still felt the same.

"And you also rub your stomach a lot…" Aang apparently felt like adding more to the conversation Sokka had thought ended. "Maybe you really should get Yugoda to take a look at you, I hate to say it but you've been acting strange for a while now, ever since…"

Aang fell silent and it unnerved Sokka, he knew what his friend was going to say but Sokka didn't know if was ready to tell them.

Admitting what happened when he had been captured almost three months ago would mean that Sokka couldn't pretend it didn't happen.

And then there was that thing the crazy Aunt Wu lady said.

And Zuko.

Sokka jumped suddenly, not knowing why the prince bastard had suddenly appeared in his mind, unfortunately he still had his head back and didn't see the step he missed before he fell hard on his back.

"Are you okay?" An older woman's voice made Sokka open his eyes as she smiled down at him. "Your sister is was very persistent that I look at you."

"I bet she was." Sokka glared over at his little sister before he sat up; rubbing his sore back while he got to his feet. He looked at his friend and his sister and then sighed before his head snapped back.

"Something wrong?" Yugoda asked with some concern.

"Actually…" Sokka looked at his sister. "Could I uh…have some privacy?"

Katara looked like she was about to make a joke but Yugoda was already shuffling her and the avatar out of their current home before anyone could make protest. She shut the curtain and smiled over at the young teen waiting for Sokka to make the first move.

"I need you to do me a favor…." Sokka sat down on the chair and took off his heavy sweater before he looked away from the woman who was now sitting next to him. "Could you….could you see if…"

This was ridiculous!

Sokka groaned inwardly before he looked at the older woman pleadingly. "Could you see if I'm pregnant?"

If Yugoda was surprised by that statement she made no reaction, instead she ushered Sokka to lean back. "This will be a little cold but I'm sure you can handle it."

Her voice was reassuring as Sokka tried to relax, her hands traveled down his chest and to his stomach, it was cold, but it tickled more than it felt more uncomfortable. Sokka looked at the older woman who had been friends with his GranGran and wondered if she thought he was crazy.

"If you think you are the first man I have done this to then you are mistaken." She laughed at his expression. "First one as young as you I admit, but….oh!"

Sokka froze as he studied her expression. Her face softened as she pressed a little firmer on his stomach. "I would say you are about-"

"Three months." Sokka stated coldly before he closed his eyes. "I…oh no.. I'm-"

"Shhh." Yugoda pulled Sokka into a hug and rubbed his back, trying to comfort the teen. "You are a perfectly healthy teenager, your heart rate is normal and-"

"How can that even happen?" Sokka felt her hands on either side of his face as he glanced down as his stomach. "I'm a guy!"

"It's happened before; I remember studying about it at Ba Sing Se University back in my younger days, after Kana left. The first recorded case was an earth bender." She smiled at him. "Bodies adapt and change just as our world's change-"

"But how?" Sokka asked pleadingly.

Yugoda blushed and it would have surprised Sokka if he didn't already know the truth. "You had sex with another man."

"Is everything alright?" Katara poked her head into the tent and Sokka quickly wiped his face even though he hadn't been crying. He looked at the woman healer and sighed before he nodded and motioned for his sister and friend to come back in.

"I think I need some time with my friends." Sokka's voice cracked and Yugoda made a face as if she was truly realizing how young he was but she bowed nonetheless and left the hut after making Sokka promise to come visit her again.

"There is something wrong isn't there?" Katara's eyes watered as she went over to her brother. "Is it serious?"

"Actually…" Sokka took a deep breath and waited for Aang to sit on the ground in front of him, he motioned for Katara to do the same and his sister reluctantly left his side to sit next to the monk before he continued talking. "I never told you guys what actually happened….when I was captured a few months back…"

Things were about to get complicated.

MMMMM

Zuko coughed as he leaned against the warm metal of Zhao's ship that he was currently stowing away in. He couldn't believe that bastard had actually tried to kill him.

Okay, he could believe it.

The prince groaned as he felt one of the cuts on his back ache a bit. He closed his eyes, using this moment of silence to get some rest before he had to go meet up with his uncle in a few minutes.

Bright blue eyes stared back and it made Zuko jump up and look around the empty room before practicing his breathing exercises. Those damn eyes….that peasant had seduced him and Zuko had fallen for it. His fist clenched before he relaxed again.

Now was not the time to dwell on that.

No.

Now he needed to make sure that he got to the avatar before that bastard Zhao. He needed to make sure that he and his uncle got out of this sabotage mission okay; needed to make sure he did not fail this time.

He would restore his honor.

And if he ran into that water tribe peasant again then he would…

He would….

Zuko felt his face heat up under the soldier mask as he briefly let the thought of capturing the teen again run through his head. Or even, Zuko lifted his hand to his lips only to have have it touch the white mask….NO!

What was he thinking!

Zuko stormed out of the room to go find his uncle and figure out what to do next before he tried to capture the avatar. Now was not the time to be dwelling on a minor tryst between an enemy, he had more important things he needed to think about.

MMMM

"You're pregnant!?!" Katara practically yelled.

Sokka could always trust Katara to yell out any sensitive information he gave her.

"Like I was trying to explain…" Sokka lowered his voice considerably as he glared at his sister, showing how he did not appreciate her need to shout that out. "I am apparently pregnant."

Sokka hadn't gone into the tiny detail of what had happened but basically explained that Zhao had forced himself on the water tribe teen while the next day Sokka had found himself with Zuko and then explained how they had let him go when they had realized he had no information about the avatar and then Sokka caught up with them. Only the basics but still the truth.

"I can't believe Zhao and Zuko did that to you…" Katara clenched her fists before she looked at her brother almost apologetically. "Do you….do you know which one is the….father?"

Sokka had never heard the word father stated with such venom.

"I…I don't know…" Sokka felt dirty as those words left his mouth. He looked over at Aang who had been silent through out the whole conversation to see his friend looking at the ground. "Aang?"

Aang's head popped up and he smiled at Sokka before his grin faded a bit. "Sorry Sokka, its just…..its just not something I know how to react to. I mean…"

"I know what you mean Aang." Sokka smirked a bit as he saw the monk give off a sigh of relief. "I'm not exactly sure how to react to it myself."

Katara looked like she was about to say something when princess Yue poked her head through the curtain. "Sokka?"

Sokka beamed at the sight of his white haired girl. "Yue, ready to go do an activity?"

The princess laughed and Sokka slipped his heavy coat back on. He gave Katara and Aang a look letting them know that they could talk about this later before he left house. Yue was just what he needed to take his mind off this.

Who cared if she was engaged to someone else, right?

Sokka smiled at her as she started talking about the next festival her village was planning to throw the following week, why couldn't life give him a break for once. Couldn't he fall in love with someone not betrothed to another, and to top it all off, wouldn't be nice if he wasn't pregnant while he was trying to sort out his feelings for the said girl?

Black snow.

The next few hours happened so fast, that it took Sokka some time before he finally realized the fire nation was attacking, Sokka finally got to meet his competition for Yue and it turned out to be a pompous jerk that didn't deserve her! He had been taken off the mission to protect Yue but now he couldn't find her, it was just his luck that she had run off to some place he couldn't find.

He ran past the fighter and other warriors trying to find her, he had to protect her, he had to.

He turned down another street only to bump into to something. Sokka picked himself off the ground and reached out to help the other person up before he felt his body run cold.

"You!" Zuko jumped up to his feet as he grabbed the water tribe teen and threw him against the ice wall. "Where is the avatar?!"

Sokka just stared at Zuko as the teen towered over him, his boomerang clattering to the ground as he gripped his stomach, trying to protect it incase Zuko tried to punch him. The other teen noticed this and took a step back from Sokka.

"Are you hurt?" Zuko asked quickly towards the unusually silent teen, before he shook his head and slammed his fist against the wall beside the other teen's head.

Why should he care if the idiot hurt himself?

"I need you to tell me where the avatar is!"

"No!" Sokka shouted back before he punched Zuko, taking the chance to grab his boomerang and run away. He had made it around the next corner when suddenly he was pulled back and thrown back against the wall. Zuko was now breathing smoke.

"I don't know where he is and even if I did I wouldn't tell you!" Sokka couldn't say anything else because suddenly there were hot fingers gripping his chin. He stared at the gold eyes that were glaring at him and glared back defiantly.

"What did you do to me?" And before Sokka could ask what Zuko meant by that statement, there were lips on his. He tried to push the other teen off only to have his hands grabbed and slammed against the ice wall.

Zuko's skin was hot, so very hot, Sokka couldn't help but push against the other teen when the cold of the ice he was shoved against got to him. He panted as Zuko finally separated their mouths only to have the prince start kissing his neck before he could come up with an insulting remark.

Sokka growled as he finally got his hands free and grabbed onto the back of Zuko's neck forcing the other teen into another kiss. Forgetting for a brief second that they were in the middle of a fight with the fire nation.

Physical contact with the psychopath shouldn't feel so good.

Sokka bit on Zuko's lip as he opened his eyes.

They were kissing in the middle of an invasion.

Yue.

Sokka shoved Zuko off him and backed away making sure that there was a few meters between them as he panted red faced and regarded the prince who seemed stunned at what just happened. Sokka raised his boomerang, ready to throw it in case Zuko got any ideas before he took off running in the opposite direction.

He didn't need to deal with whatever that was right now.

He needed to find Yue and make sure she was okay.

Zuko growled as he watched the blue clad teen run away, wanting to chase after him but he needed to find the avatar. Zuko closed his eyes and concentrated, he had a knack for finding the bald monk, it shouldn't be too hard to find him in a city.

Yue had actually found Sokka after he had gotten Appa. Sokka pulled her into his arms tightly thanking the spirits that she was okay before she started yelling something about Katara and Aang and a scarred boy. Sokka cursed at himself for not taking out the teen earlier as he ordered Appa to the direction Yue was pointing at.

He should had just knocked Zuko out earlier, or taken the teen captive to use as a bargaining chip later.

He pulled on Appa's reigns as they landed in the grass. Sokka didn't have time to take in the spectacle of the oasis as he realized Zuko had gotten Aang. Sokka pulled his sister onto Appa before making sure Yue was still okay and then getting the sky bison up in the air.

When they had finally found Zuko and Aang, after Katara had knocked Zuko out, Sokka wondered if wanting to leave the prince behind was too cruel. Aang had looked at the water tribe almost pleadingly and Sokka wanted to scream at him.

Why did Aang want to save the guy who was chasing them around the globe?

The bald monk laid Zuko in the saddle and Sokka got to work tying him in case Zuko decided to wake up. It took Sokka a second as he stared at the prince's face before he realized how beat up Zuko really looked at that second.

What had happened?

Sokka cursed himself for even remotely worrying about the other teen, Yue holding onto his arm. He stared at the white haired girl next to him and wished for different situations. Sokka placed his hand over his stomach out of reflex and realized Katara was staring at him as if seeing if he was alright, he nodded hoping she would get the point when suddenly the moon turned red.

Red.

Such an awful color.

Sokka felt his blood run cold as the made it back to the oasis.

He had totally forgotten about Zhao.

The admiral noticed him and gave the teen a smirk, Sokka felt like he was going to puke as he watched the rest of the scene, not being able to do anything.

He was useless.

That whole night felt like it had been a nightmare. One that reoccurred in Sokka's dreams weeks after the whole incident was over. It was when they were in the earth kingdom, on their way to Omashu that Sokka finally cried for Yue. He would look up at the moon and remember his helplessness.

"That's not how she would want you to think." Aang would try to reason with Sokka when he realized how depressed the teen had gotten. "You need to take care of yourself Sokka."

Sokka just smiled at his bald friend as he undid his hair for the night and laid down in the sleeping bag. Sokka was about to drift off to sleep, join his sister in dream land when he felt a small touch on his arm and turned over to see Aang giving him a pleading look.

"Can we talk… for a second, I promise not to take too long." Aang spoke softly, glancing at Katara to make sure he wasn't going to wake her. "About you being… you know.."

"Pregnant." Sokka stated plainly as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He would have been shocked at the conversation topic if he wasn't so tired since he hadn't really talk to his two travel companions about the issue since the north pole but the look on Aang's face told him that the monk had been holding back for a while.

"I just wanted to say that….."

"I mean its not like the whole thing…":

"And you might not have really wanted to be put in that kind of…."

"Aang, what are you trying to say?" Sokka sighed as he monk started to rock back and forth.

"I just wanted to say that I was happy for you." Aang whispered with a smile. "I know that the whole situation and timing issue might not be how you planned it. Okay well I know you didn't plan if but I'm just saying that I think its really cool that you have this chance."

Sokka blinked.

"I think it's really cool that you get to bring life into this world, and I…" Aang stopped as he looked at Sokka, who now had streams of tears running down his face. "Oh I didn't mean to upset you!"

"Idiot!" Sokka swore under his breath as he wiped his face. "I'm not upset…."

Aang looked like he didn't believe Sokka.

The water tribe teen took a deep breath before he looked at the young monk. Aang was only twelve years old but sometimes the kid really did show wisdom beyond his years.

Maybe it was a monk thing.

"I…" Sokka ran a shaky hand through his hair, should he really tell the kid about what's been bugging him? "Aang, do you think I'll be a good dad?"

The monk blinked in surprise but had the decency to put some thought into the question before he smiled at his older friend.

"Sokka, I know you are going to be a great dad." Sokka opened his mouth to say something but Aang cut him off. "You kind of already act like a dad to me and Katara sometimes, I mean your protective, and you plan things out, and you make really bad jokes."

"Jokes don't really make a dad Aang."

"I'm just saying, I don't really know what a dad is supposed to be like since I grew up with the monks but all I know it, if I had a choice, I would have wanted someone like you."

Sokka smiled. "I am pretty awesome."

Aang smiled as he pulled the bigger teen into a hug and Sokka reluctantly hugged back. "You don't have to get all touchy now…"

"And it's not like you will be raising the kid all by yourself." Aang smiled before he felt Sokka tense.

"I was planning on being a single parent Aang."

"I meant me and Katara." Aang laughed deciding not to push the subject of who Sokka thought was the father that night. They had six more months before the kid was actually do and then only a few months before the comet was supposed to come.

"I didn't really think of it that way." Sokka finally pushed Aang away from him playfully as if the younger kid was bothering him, "Thanks, Aang."

"No problem." Aang smiled as he curled over on the ground so that he was no longer facing Sokka.

Aang really just new what to say sometimes. Sokka sighed as he sat back and looked at the moon that was now shining on all three of them and smiled.

Yue was probably happy for him too.

MMMM

If going through the secret love tunnel with a bunch a singing hippies hadn't been enough of a punishment enough for the young pregnant teen, then finding Omashu under the control of the fire nation should have been.

Sokka groaned as he tickled the small sucker off of the nearest person. Pentapox had been a pretty brilliant idea, if the water tribe teen did say so himself, but he was slightly worried about Aang, where ever the airbender had run off.

Sokka understood Aang wanting to save King Bumi but in all honesty, he could really hold sympathy for a man who gave up without a fight.

"Where's Momo?" Sokka turned towards Katara, wondering where his little lemur friend had gone to.

Momo had always been at his side recently, to the point where Sokka felt like he was missing a piece of himself without the chattering monkey by his side. As they finally made it to the campsite it was almost dark. The leader of the small rebellion starting his head count just as Sokka spotted his bald monk friend returning with 'Fluffy' and then the group discovered their little stow away.

Sokka stared at child that seemed to have attached itself to Momo. It blubbered words at the creature and laughed as it was dragged on the ground. Sokka couldn't help but fell uneasy around the fire nation child, but as he watched it play with his club. He felt like he should agree with the leader of the earth nation group.

This child might not be dangerous now, but he would be in the future.

The child gargled happily as it crawled into Sokka's lap and the teen lifted the light weight infant up. He had one of these, growing in his stomach?

"Isn't he cute?" Katara cooed as she passed the two before going back to organizing all their supplies.

Sokka had to admit, the baby was kind of cute.

Sokka sighed as he placed the child back on the ground and leaned back on his make shift pillow he had made out of his sleeping bag. He was about to call Momo over to distract the infant that had somehow became his responsibility when he felt tugging on his tunic. Sokka looked down to see the baby pull itself onto his lap and smile happily.

Sokka didn't really know what to do so he settled for how he treated Momo whenever the Lemur rested on his lap and rubbed the child's back in a petting motion. This seemed to work as the child stilled, using Sokka's chest as a pillow and his stomach as a bed.

Sokka groaned as the child slept on him but found that he didn't really mind.

The kid was cute after all, and it did seem rather attached to him. He couldn't make the kid's separation from his parents any harder by forcing him to stay with one of the elders of the group that might be cold to the child out of hatred towards his parents.

"So have you thought about it?" Sokka turned to see his sister sitting next to him with a smile as he just stared at her as if she had grown two heads.

"I think I missed the first part of this conversation that you held in your head." Sokka smirked as Katara's frown. "Thought of what?"

"If you wanted a boy or a girl." Katara sighed as if it had been the obvious question.

Sokka glanced at his lap that was now full of baby, in the literal sense. "Not really….I mean I kind of assumed it would be a boy."

"Why is that?" Katara smiled at her brother as she unrolled her sleeping bag.

"Because I'm a guy and it's dad is a guy….sooo……" Sokka looked at his sister to see if she had gotten where his train of thought was at the sight of her blush it seemed she understood.

"Oh…" Katara slid into her bag and then looked at her brother. "That makes sense."

"Yeah." Sokka suddenly felt very awkward as his sister turned over so that her back was to him.

"Sokka?" The teen glanced at his sisters back wondering what she was thinking about.

"Yeah?"

"If you got to choose….I mean if you had the option…" Katara seemed to be fed up with her own indecisiveness as she turned over so that she was facing her brother again. "Between Zhao and Zuko, who do you hope the father is?"

"Ugh, Katara I'm about to go to sleep!" Sokka whined as he pulled the child on his stomach a little higher so that he was a little more comfortable.

"I was just wondering!" Katara said in her defense.

"Why were you wondering something like that?" Sokka lowered his voice as the baby squirmed in his arms.

"….." Katara opened her mouth to say something but instead she remained silent and instead glared at her brother, hoping he would take her seriously for once.

Sokka sighed.

"If I had an option…I wouldn't be pregnant and none of that would have happened." Sokka smiled as he heard the baby make a small cooing noise.

"I think your going to make a great dad." Katara smiled at her brother. "You look so content with that kid in your arms."

"I'm just happy the little demon went to sleep." Sokka huffed as he turned away from his sister, ignoring her giggle before she too, turned and went to sleep.

Sokka wrapped his arms around the small warm body that had become attached to him and closed his eyes. If he had to choose between Zhao and Zuko then Sokka would complain that he had been given the bottom of the barrel because no one would want either of those two fire bending psychos.

But at least Zuko hadn't forced himself of Sokka.

Sokka felt his face warm up as he remembered the last time he had seen the prince.

Okay, maybe he was slightly a little, maybe just a tad, but barely attracted to Zuko.

Maybe.

And why had the prince kissed him like that? Sokka found himself praying to god that the kid's father was Zuko, if anything, then the kid would at least be partly sane.

Zhao was a monster as far as the water tribe teen was concerned.

Sokka peaked at the child that was still sleeping happily in his arms and hoped that he could do this. He hoped the spirits would give him a break once he had the kid so that he would be able to take care of it. To raise it properly.

It was in that second that Sokka truly realized that when the kid was born, he was going to responsible for another human being. Not the kind of responsibility like he had as an older brother but as a parent.

He was going to be a parent.

It was no surprise when sleep didn't come easily to the teen that night.

The day had come quickly as Sokka stood on the platform where the exchange was supposed to take place. The baby laughed happily against Sokka's chest and the water tribe teen had to admit that he would miss the thing….. just a little bit.

Sokka had never really thought about how life would be traveling with the avatar after he had the kid, never really considered the situations that they always ended up in until he was running with a laughing toddler in his arms. He felt a sharp jab under his foot as he fell forward.

Sokka's eyes widened as he forced his body to twist uncomfortably so that he slid on his back. The water tribe teen felt his heart hammer in his chest as he grabbed onto to Appa's whistle and blew on it with all he could muster.

He slid down the ladder, ignoring the pain in his side as he went to go find the sky bison to take the child to safety. There was no way he would be able to fight and protect the child at the same time, Sokka had would end up holding the group back in the these kind of situations after the child was born.

Sokka was going to have to separate from the group after the kid was born.

The water tribe teen cursed at himself for being distracted by these thoughts during a battle. Sokka grabbed onto Appa's reigns before he handed the child off to the leader so that it would be safe while he went back to the battle. They needed to get king Bumi back.

MMMM

By the time Toph was added to the group Sokka felt like he was showing.

It was awkward for the teen who was always so concern with his appearance to wake up one more morning and realize his stomach seemed to have grown a small pouch. Katara swore up and down that she still didn't see anything and even Aang who was always bursting with honesty swore he didn't notice.

That didn't stop Sokka from tying his tunic a little looser, just in case.

"It still creeps me out." Toph caught Sokka's attention as the water tribe teen sat next to her by the fire.

Toph had honestly taken Sokka's pregnancy in stride claiming that it would only be natural for the people around the avatar to be effected by his 'weirdness'. Sokka had been reluctant to tell her at first but then it turned out she had thought he had a health problem which led to him explaining to her his predicament, well slightly, he didn't know her well enough to give her all the details anyway.

"It's like you have a really fast heartbeat, and I mean fast." Toph concentrated on her feet before she glanced at Sokka's general direction. "I have to really focus to make out that it is actually two individual ones."

"Hey, its weird for me to!" Sokka defended himself.

After all it was hard to know something was actually growing inside you without hard proof.

And two heart beats was more that enough evidence for Sokka.

"If it makes you feel any better, it sounds healthy." Toph added quietly before getting up and making her way over to Appa.

Sokka didn't realize he had been that worried until he felt a weight lift off his shoulders by her words.

His kid was healthy.

"Hey can you see what the sex is?" Sokka smiled as he ran up behind her, being loud enough for Katara to hear.

"Ew." Toph glared at him. "As if I would ever want to see that much of you and your insides."

"Okay guys, Appa's ready!" Aang smiled at his friends, the air bender had visibly brightened up after getting a new teacher, too excited to learn earth bending Sokka guessed.

MMMM

"So, how do guys get pregnant?"

Sokka spit out the piece of meat he had been chewing on in surprise to the sudden change of conversation topic. It seemed one second the group was discussing where they should so Aang could train then something about shopping and now this.

He glanced down at the piece of meat that was now ruined in the dirt.

Such a waste.

"Are you even paying attention?" Toph's voice made Sokka give the girl his attention with a glare.

"I was ignoring you."

"See the thing about being blind is," Toph smirked slightly. "I never know if I'm being ignored, if the person doesn't answer, I just assumed they died."

"Okay guys, play nice." Katara smiled at her brother who had opened his mouth to retort.

"Well?" Toph stared pointedly at Sokka.

"Well what?" The water tribe teen looked at her with confusion. Had he just missed something?

"How do guys get pregnant?" The twelve year old earth bender stated as if she had been repeating herself for the hundredth time.

Sokka just blinked at her.

"I think I'm going to bed. Night!" And before anyone could protest Sokka was already inside his and Katara's tent, taking his food with him of course.

Sokka heard them continue with a different conversation outside and groaned as he flopped down on his sleeping bag, staring at the ceiling to his tent. He understood that Toph was new to the group, heck she had only been with them for a whole day before she had found out he was pregnant so it would be only natural that she was curious.

He wasn't annoyed, he was just…

Confused.

Sokka regretted not listening to Yugoda's explanation of male pregnancy at the North Pole now because when he really thought about it, he had no idea what was going on.

Sure his stomach was getting bigger but it wasn't like he was growing a plant in his stomach……was it? Was that how child birth worked? He poked at the food still left on his place before turning his back to it.

Was it something like bending?

Sokka started laughing and snickered to himself as he suddenly thought of Aang trying to master the element of baby bending. He could almost picture the avatar trying to fight the Fire Lord by throwing newborns at him.

Sokka finished his plate after he had mentally cheered himself up with the ridiculous thought of baby bending and then shoved the plate outside of his tent, knowing Katara would begrudgingly pick it up and clean it for him.

The teen curled into his sleeping bag as he mentally reminded himself to tell Aang about baby bending just to get a reaction from the preteen before he sighed.

Next town they went to he would need to a healer, do a check up and maybe get some more information.

He already felt like he was walking into this blindfolded, he could get some help before the baby was bursting out of his stomach in some bloody rampage.

Oh spirits.

What if that was how guys gave birth?

Through bursting?

Sokka groaned as he cursed Toph and silently prayed to whoever was in charge that he did not have detailed dreams that night.

MMMMM

Please Review.

And I hope everyone has a great weekend.


	3. Push

I do not own.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Thank you for the reviews of the last chapter and as a special holiday treat I decided to upload the next chapter!

I'm going to be leaving the country for a few months and it made me realize I need to finish all my stories asap. I decided to do 'Baby Bending' first since this story has received so much feedback.

You guys are awesome.

Enjoy.

MMMMM

Chapter 3: Push

MMMMM

The chase.

Sokka groaned at his lack of sleep. He knew his sister was doing no better, but after Appa had sent those two girls flying they knew they needed to find Aang before the crazy girl with the blue fire got to him.

He was so tired.

Sokka tried to keep his mind focused on getting to Aang while he heard Katara move around in the saddle to see if she saw Toph anywhere on the way. The stupid earth bender leaving the group because everyone was on short nerves and when tried Katara and Aang (yes even Aang the wonderful mini-monk) could be jerks.

Sokka had tried to keep her from leaving but there was only so much he could do.

They caught sight of burning buildings and Sokka guided Appa to the ground quickly, hating how Katara took off before Appa had even fully landed instead of waiting for her brother to back her up. He knew she could take care of herself but they still didn't even know who this crazy fire bender chick was!

Sokka grabbed his club as he took off after his sister towards the burning buildings.

Couldn't they, just once, have a fight in a room full of pillows instead of fire?

Was it so hard to ask?

Sokka ran into what was left of a house to see his sister run by one of the windows quickly. He had made it just in time at the door to swing at the fire bending chick, it was three against one. Then Toph came and Sokka had never felt so relieved in his life to see that their blind friend was okay before the crazy fire bending girl took off running.

He was so tired.

Sokka took off after her, letting his adrenaline move his body just was Iroh and Zuko joined them to surround the girl. Sokka tried to hold back his surprise as he saw Zuko glare at the girl, even Iroh, who Sokka had thought of as a gentle spirit glared unforgivingly at her.

Sokka felt his body relax as the girl raised her hands declaring her defeat. He still had his boomerang ready just in case.

Never trust a fire bender he repeated in his mind.

If there was ever one time in Sokka's life where he wished he wasn't right, it was then. Never trust a fire bender he had thought, and as he watched Iroh fall back after he was shot in the chest he wished he could take it back.

She was gone after the explosion of elements mixing and Sokka stood back with everyone else as they watched Zuko fall to his knees beside his uncle.

Sokka wanted to ask the teen so many questions, why the new hair cut? Why were you guys going against the fire nation psycho chick? Why did you help us corner her?

What did she mean by traitors?

"Get away from us!" Zuko yelled as if in pain and for a second, Sokka realized how young the prince was.

"Zuko, I can help!" Katara's voice barely registered to Sokka as he took a step towards the scarred teen.

He wanted to help Iroh.

"Leave!" Zuko shot fire over their heads causing the group to back off. Sokka was pulled back by Katara's hand as the group took off running in the other direction.

The water tribe teen paused as they climbed up Appa, he stood on the ground looking at the rest of the group and groaned.

He was so tired.

So very tired but he could not leave just yet.

Iroh had been very kind to him on the boat, had gotten the medic to treat him and had treated him as if Sokka had been a guest and not a prisoner on the prince's ship. He looked at the tired group he was traveling with and groaned as he took his bag off of Appa's saddle.

"I'm going back to see if I can help." Sokka silenced any complaint Katara had with a look before he turned his attention to Aang. "Don't go far, I'll find you guys in a bit."

"Yip Yip." Aang gave Sokka a nod as Appa went into the air and the water tribe teen took a deep breath.

He could do this.

He could help them.

Sokka ran over to see that Zuko had already moved Iroh, he followed the dragged trail to find Zuko half way up a mountain towards a run down shack away from the fire. Sokka didn't give Zuko a chance to argue as he lifted once side of Iroh so that Zuko could lift the other, the old man finally not dragging on the ground as they made their way to the shack.

Sokka set up a small fire pit so that he could boil water but before he could spark it with his rocks Zuko had set the wood on fire, startling Sokka a bit as the water tribe teen realized how much potential danger he could be in. Sokka ignored the thoughts and pushed them back in his head as he opened his bag and pulled out some herbs he had bought for burns, he had bought them before they had learned of Katara's healing ability.

Sokka waited for the water to heat up before he turned his attention to Iroh, only to see Zuko doing a lousy wrap up job of the wound.

"What are you doing?" Sokka quickly crawled over and slapped away Zuko's hands before he was suddenly grabbed harshly and pushed to the ground with Zuko over him.

The prince snarled down at the water tribe peasant as Sokka's blue eyes returned the feeling.

"Let go of me so I can help him." Sokka stated as evenly as possible, the teen was surprised his voice didn't crack in that moment and was glad that karma was on his side this time.

For once.

"Why are you doing this?" Zuko's hands on Sokka's shoulders hurt the younger teen as he pushed him harder into the ground but Sokka remained relaxed, partially thanks to the fact that he hadn't slept in almost two days.

"I owe him at least this much." Sokka stated softly and Zuko's face visibly softened as he let go of the teen and gave Sokka space so that the water tribe teen could work on his uncle. They sat in silence for a few minutes as Sokka undid the futile attempt at a wrapping job that Zuko had done before he went over the boiling water.

"Umm…." Sokka didn't like being the one to break the intense silence but while he had seen a kettle to boil water he didn't see any cups or bowls. "Do you have something I can mix this in?"

Blue eyes met gold and Sokka shuddered at the intensity that Zuko had been staring at him with. The prince shuffled through a bag and pulled out a chipped cup. Sokka took it graciously before he put the herb in and mixed in a little water. Sokka sighed as he wiped his forehead and waited for the mix to thicken while he took a rag and dipped it into the unused water before cleaning the wound.

Iroh flinched unconsciously at the light touch and Sokka didn't fail to notice the prince tense out of the corner of his eye.

The wound wasn't actually that deep, probably thanks to the thick cloths Iroh had been wearing during the attack. Sokka put the thick goo on the burn and after spreading it evenly on the wound, Sokka wrapped bandages around the old man.

The water tribe teen sat back after he was done to see the work and sighed contently as he scooted back so that he could lean against the wall. Sokka sighed as he let his head roll to the side finally realizing how much he missed sleep.

"Thank you." Sokka's eyes opened slowly as he felt a rough hand graze his cheek. He probably would have acted more surprised if he had actually been running on some sleep but as it was he merely stared at Zuko as the prince leaned in closer so that they were face to face.

"Any time." Sokka whispered and couldn't believe that even in that sleep deprived, barely conscious moment, he actually meant those words.

Lips brushed against lips and Sokka found himself leaning forward to add more pressure before his own body gave up. He barely had time to register what Zuko was asking him before he finally faded off into sleep.

Much needed sleep.

MMM

Zuko stared down at the limp form in his arms before he rolled his eyes and let go of Sokka letting the water tribe teen fall in an awkward position on the floor. Zuko sighed as he moved the peasant a bit so that the boy could be more comfortable.

It was the least he could do for the kid after helping him out with his uncle.

Iroh.

Zuko made his way to over to the old man and stared at his unconscious form. Zuko had never felt that scared in his life, even taking into account his Agni Kai. Turning around to face his father or having to see Iroh fall, the man who had remained by his side through out all of this, fall by Azula's hands, Zuko realized he probably would chose the Agni Kai.

He tight his fists as he watched his uncle take a deep breath.

Azula.

How dare she do this to uncle!

Zuko cursed at his own stupidity for being surprised by her actions. Azula didn't care who she hurt along the way, just as long as she got what she wanted in the end. Though this time, she had left empty handed thanks to odd team up.

Zuko had mixed feelings about his brief team up with the Avatar. It had been a necessity, the prince told himself, so that they could take Azula down.

The prince watched his uncle's chest rise and fall for a few moments, taking in that his uncle was actually going to be okay. Zuko felt his attention waiver as he heard some shuffling to the side. He glanced over to see the peasant sleeping contently on the floor.

Zuko crawled over to the still form.

Why was it that every time he saw the idiot peasant Zuko wanted to touch him? Wanted to feel that skin, wanted to taste the enemy.

Wanted to burn him.

Zuko held back his urge to wake the teen and instead let his hand stroke the soft skin of his cheek. The water tribe teen's face nuzzled into the warmth of Zuko's hand and the prince felt a stirring in his stomach.

What was this?

He should tie the teen down and keep him as a hostage to get the avatar, not caress his cheek. He should have kicked the other teen out of the shack as soon the peasant had finished helping him with his uncle. He should have just burned the bastard for daring to come back after the prince had sent them all away.

Zuko should have done a lot of things.

He should have remained silent in the war room.

Should have kept the water tribe teen prisoner on his war ship despite the seduction.

Should have already caught the avatar.

But Zuko was never really good at doing things that he should have been doing. He had learned this much about himself recently and sighed as he turned his back to the distracting teen so that he was once again facing his uncle.

Zuko didn't realize that he had fallen asleep until he jolted back in surprise. The prince made himself ready for a fight as he glanced around the room, the early morning sunlight lighting the ratty shack. Zuko relaxed a bit as he realized there was nothing off about the room.

But then what had woken him?

"Nhhnn…" Zuko spun around to see Sokka curled over as if in pain.

Zuko hurried over to the teen that had helped out the night before. He turned the peasant over so that the teen was on his back and opened the blue tunic quickly checking to see if there were any injuries.

"Stop it…." Zuko paused as he watched a tear roll down the dreaming teen's cheek.

Zuko let his hands ghost over the teen's chest, not seeing any blemish or sign of bruising. There didn't seem to be anything physically wrong with the teen. Maybe it was just a bad dream?

"Zh…" The water tribe teen grabbed his stomach protectively as he turned over so that his back was to Zuko. His face scrunched up in pain as his mouth continued to move as if talking to someone but no sound came out.

A nightmare?

Zuko forced the other teen back on his back and moved the protective hands away from his stomach before Zuko placed his hand on top of it. The prince stared down at the teen, finally taking in the full view of his exposed torso. Did the peasant's stomach seem enlarged in some way?

Zuko warmed his hands as he touched the stomach, wondering if maybe this would sooth the other teen.

Pause.

Zuko kept his hand on the peasant's stomach but stared down in surprise.

Did the kid's stomach just move?

MMM

Sokka woke with the strange sensation of a hand on his stomach. It was warm and Sokka moaned a bit in content before his eyes flew open, remembering where he had fallen asleep last night.

The glare of the sun hurt his eyes but he managed to scoot out from under the hand that had been touching him only to see that he had startled Zuko in his sudden action. The prince had raised his hands in the air as if to prove to Sokka that he wasn't going to do anything.

"What were you doing?" Sokka asked incredulously as he realized his tunic was open and he pulled it back close quickly.

"You…." Zuko frowned with a huff. "You were moaning and clenching your stomach, I thought it would help."

"Well it doesn't!" Sokka felt his voice crack then as he placed his hand over his stomach before he noticed a small smirk on the prince's face. A smirk that he did not like. "And what are you so happy about?"

"You've gained weight." Zuko sounded amused but all Sokka heard was the lies that Katara and Aang had been telling him for a month now.

He was going to yell at them next time he saw them.

"Excuse you?" Sokka growled as he sat up and tied his tunic. What did this bastard mean by commenting on his weight? Did he know?

No.

There was no way the prince could know about Sokka's condition by just touching him.

Right?

Zuko just eyed Sokka grudgingly before he crawled over the younger teen forcing Sokka's back to the ground once more. Zuko grabbed Sokka's hands in silence, making the teen let go of his tunic before the prince moved the fabric aside to show Sokka's bare chest.

"You were having a nightmare." The prince stated coolly as he let his hand travel up the teen's stomach, enjoying the feel of the other one shivering.

Sokka's eyes widened as he stared at the prince. "I don't remember."

"You kept saying 'stop it'." Zuko's hand stopped at Sokka's throat as he felt the other teen swallow. "And clenching your stomach, must have been a bad one."

"Don't touch me."

Sokka paled as the words left his mouth, the way Zuko was touching was honestly creeping him out. Sokka knew what he had dreamed about, same thing he had nightmares about ever since he truly realized he was pregnant. Sokka dreamed of Zhao stealing the child away, the crazy bastard chasing him and the gang to the ends of the earth, the older man forcing himself on Sokka even in the water tribe teen's dreams.

His dreams were usually sporadic, showing him things he feared but would never voice to his friends.

The way Zuko's hand shook as it touched Sokka's necklace made the younger teen realize how angry the prince had gotten about the order.

"Don't touch you?" Zuko sneered before he gripped Sokka's jaw roughly forcing the blue eyes to regard him, and only him. "What would you have me do then peasant?"

"I have a name!" Sokka felt his own annoyance at the prince as he shoved the older teen.

"So?" Zuko spat before he was suddenly rolled over with Sokka on top of him, straddling his waist before he was punched in the face.

Zuko growled as he grabbed the teen's arms to prevent anymore hits. They glared at each other before Sokka's eyes widened and fell forward, his head landing on Zuko's shoulder as he tried to touch his stomach but Zuko was not relenting his hold on the teen's hands.

The prince was caught off by the sudden closeness before he felt the boy gasp, his breath tingled against Zuko's skin.

The baby moved. Sokka tried to calm down at the sudden sensation of having shifting inside of him unannounced but failed to hold back the shiver at the new sensation. Why did the baby have to move right now?

Zuko lightened his grip on the teen's wrist and traced his hands down the other one's arms. He felt the boy shift on top of him and smirked as the teen stilled when his lips contacted with the tan skin of the peasant's neck. Sokka pulled back only to have Zuko's lips suddenly on his.

He grabbed the front of the other's shirt pushing the prince away only to have his lip bitten in response. Sokka glared at the stubborn golden eyes of the prince before he shoved the prince down so that he couldn't be tempted by what those lips were promising him.

"What's your problem?" Zuko growled as Sokka glared at him.

"What's my name?" Sokka dared as he sat on top of the prince's stomach, one of his hands subconsciously rubbed his stomach.

"I don't care what your name is peasant!" Zuko growled as he tried to grab Sokka only to have the water tribe teen grab the prince's arms and shove them away. "I don't see why it matters now; it didn't matter when you seduced me!"

It hurt.

It hurt a lot more than Sokka thought it would have for the prince to say that. The water tribe teen took a deep breath, knowing that what the prince had said to be true; aggravated that the prince wasn't even ashamed that he didn't know Sokka's name.

Sokka's face hardened as he smirked down at Zuko, masking his pain from the prince.

"Did you like it?" Sokka's voice lowered catching Zuko off guard.

"What?"

"Did you like it when I seduced you?" Sokka leaned forward so that his body was against the prince's, ignoring how empty and cold he felt at the moment. "When a nameless enemy controlled your body, forced pleasure onto you?"

Zuko growled.

"Did you like it, having your mind and body go against each other? Not wanting to do it but the promise of what I could give you controlling your body against your will." Sokka whispered closely in Zuko's ear. "Did you enjoy me controlling you?"

Sokka groaned as his back in the ground, Zuko on top of him quicker than the water tribe teen had thought the pale boy could move. The hot hands of the fire bender wrapping around Sokka's neck.

"How dare you!" Zuko tightened his grip but not enough to actually cut off the air.

Yet.

"What are you going to do now?" Sokka felt a crack form in his mask but continued anyway. "Are you going to force yourself on me now that you were rejected by the nameless whore that seduced you?"

Zuko's gripped tightened before he let go and punched the ground next to Sokka's head. He took a ragged breath as he glared at the boy beneath him, the boy that was now crying.

"Are you going to rape me prince Zuko? A mere peasant?" Sokka ignored the warm moisture rolling down his face. "Are you going to rape me just like he…."

Both boys froze.

Sokka urged his mouth to shut up but it kept moving. Ignoring it's owner's wishes just like it always did. "Maybe I should be grateful? The prince of the fire nation is willing to force himself on me, I should be honored right?"

Zuko almost wanted to yell, 'yeah, you should be honored', but remained silent as he stared at the teen whose blue eyes were glaring up at him.

"Who raped you?" Zuko's voice was cold and indifferent as he spoke, it made Sokka shudder. "I asked you a question peasant, who raped you?"

"My name is Sokka." The water tribe teen stated before moving out from underneath Zuko now that the prince had let go of his hold. He tried to scoot as far as he could only to hit a wall, reminding himself of how small this shack truly was.

Zuko growled as he hit the ground again, flames spurting from his fist in anger as he glared over at the other teen that was now looking away from him. He wanted to know who had violated the teen, he wanted to know so that he could kill the bastard and Zuko was pissed because he shouldn't feel this way about a mere peasant.

He shouldn't feel like this, and yet again Zuko was doing something he knew he shouldn't be.

He took a calming breath, stilling the anger inside him. When he opened his eyes again, Zuko noted that the teen was now looking at him, avoiding eye contact, but nonetheless looking at him.

"All fire benders are bastards." Sokka spoke softly but he knew the prince heard him. "I only came here to make sure Iroh was okay."

Sokka slowly stood, watching Zuko wearily, not putting his guard down around the fire bender now. He made his way over to his bag and quickly made sure that all his stuff was together before lifting it and making his way to the door.

"I'm sorry." Zuko's voice sounded gruff as he spoke and it cause Sokka to freeze at the door way. "Wait."

Sokka turned then and tensed when Zuko approached him. The prince grabbed Sokka's wrist in probably the gentlest way he could, he took a deep breath before he looked at the peasant, forcing eye contact for the first time in minutes.

"Please tell me Sokka." Zuko was making a pained face as if it actually hurt to talk to Sokka this way, and the tan teen thought for a second, that maybe it did actually hurt the pale prince.

"Zhao, before you saved me." Sokka didn't feel like going into details as Zuko's grip on his wrist tightened to the point where it hurt before loosening again. "I honestly thought you knew…."

Zuko's jaw tightened as he remembered the night he saved Sokka from Zhao's ship. He felt annoyed, how could he have been so stupid!

"Zhao's dead." Zuko thought that the news might improve the peasa…Sokka's mood but he noticed as the words registered in the other teen's head, the tan teen visibly paled, his hand petting his stomach again. "He died at the North Pole."

Zuko didn't feel like sharing any of the other information, not knowing if Sokka would take any solace in the fact that he had tried to save the bastard's life but Zhao had refused. Wondering if maybe he should also inform Sokka that Zhao had tried to kill the prince right before the fire nation invasion of the north pole's water tribe.

"He's….de…dead?" Sokka leaned against the door frame for support as he stared at the prince. The sudden weight off his chest had left the teen dizzy, the bastard had died, Sokka didn't know how he should feel at the moment.

He felt nothing.

A hand grazed Sokka's cheek shyly, as if asking for permission to touch him and Sokka leaned into the warm hands. Zuko remained silent as Sokka leaned into his hand, giving the other teen a chance to talk, if he wanted to.

"I need to go." Sokka stated quickly as he backed out of Zuko's touch. They both stared at each other for a second before Zuko growled and pulled Sokka into a quick kiss. Their lips meeting briefly before Zuko let go and went back inside the shack.

Forcing himself not to watch where the teen went, kneeling beside his uncle and watching the older man breath, waiting for his uncle to wake up.

Sokka took a few steps backwards before he quickly turned and took off running in the general direction he had thought Aang went last night. He tried to take deep breaths as he ran, forcing himself not to turn around, not knowing what would happen if he did.

Almost afraid that if he did turn around, Zuko would be back to chasing the Avatar, and everything that had happened within the last day would suddenly all vanish.

Sokka gasped as he leaned against a tree in the forest. Closing his eyes and listening for the others, before getting up again and at a slower pace, looking for his friends knowing that they were all probably waiting for him now.

MMM

Iroh groaned, opening his eyes slowly before he looked over at his nephew. He wasn't surprised by Azula's attack, he was surprised however to find that his chest didn't hurt as much as he had thought it would and his nephew had done a decent job bandaging him.

Not saying that Zuko couldn't handle himself but Iroh knew his nephew had little experience with bandages and healing.

"It was Sokka." Iroh had almost thought he had heard his nephew wrong and looked over at the young man.

"Sokka, the water tribe boy…" Zuko pointed to his uncles wrappings. "He helped me take care of you last night."

"I see." Iroh looked around expectantly but saw that it was just him and his nephew. "Is he…?"

"Back with the avatar, where he belongs." Zuko almost sounded bitter when he said those words but Iroh remained silent as he down the empty tea cup, not bothering to ask his nephew for more of that acid tea he had brewed.

It was a nice gesture but Iroh really needed to sit Zuko down and teach him how to brew tea properly.

"Uncle…" Zuko started but seemed to think better of it.

"Prince Zuko, if there is anything on your mind, I will be happy to listen." Iroh flinched as he felt a pain from his injury, it wasn't as bad as it could have been but it still hurt.

"Uncle, when we got Sokka from Zhao…" Zuko faltered in the question and Iroh looked at his nephew in understanding.

"He was a victim of Zhao's barbarity." Iroh sighed as he moved so that he could sit by the tea pot, making sure there was plenty of water before he started brewing his own tea. Iroh watched his nephew closely as the teen seemed to take the news in stride. "I am assuming that that was not what you wanted to ask me about. What is the matter Prince Zuko?"

Zuko clenched his fists and took a deep breath. He tried not to keep things from uncle and he certainly wasn't going to start now.

The man had been with Zuko through everything.

"On the ship, me and Sokka….." Zuko felt his face heat up but looked his uncle in the eye to see that the man was paying attention to him completely. "I didn't know what had happened with Zhao, no, I refused to see what Zhao had done to him."

"Zuko…" Iroh placed an understanding hand on the prince's shoulder. "You cannot be blamed for what happened."

"I know but…" Zuko stopped as his uncle patted his shoulder. Iroh just shook his head; his nephew didn't need to say anymore. Iroh had thought something had happened between the prince and the water tribe teen.

Iroh changed the subject for the prince soon after, not wanting to make his nephew uncomfortable, hoping to continue the honesty they had built between them. The old man sighed as he watched Zuko blow himself up for the umpteenth time that day while practicing the lightning Iroh had showed him.

He had known that would happen but there was no way to fix it until Zuko realized the turbulence inside himself.

Iroh smiled as he went out onto the rocky terrain.

He could show Zuko how to redirect lightning without hurting his nephew and maybe give his nephew a lesson at the same time.

MMM

Sokka stood by the water and tried to get as much as possible in the container. The past month had gone by so fast, learning about the eclipse, being stuck in the desert, needing to find Appa who had been stolen while Sokka had been stealing from the owl spirit. Meeting Suki at the ferry port had been a miracle but Sokka had honestly been torn but the meeting.

How the hell was he going to explain that he was pregnant?

And then Suki had wanted to tag along and when Sokka had not been as excited to have her come with them on the serpent's pass; she had been upset but still adamant about tagging a long. He was already six months, his tunic hiding his thankfully small bulge but now not only did he had to be extra careful for himself, he had to watch out for the Kyoshi warrior.

He didn't want the same thing to happen to her as it did to Yue.

And now Sokka was knee deep in the water that contained the giant serpent that had tried to kill them trying to fill up a water container because that stupid pregnant lady had decided to give birth. Sokka had avoided being too near the woman who looked like she was about to burst almost afraid it would be contagious.

And he had been hitting it off with Suki but of course Sokka had to screw it up!

Now he was running to the rock tent that Toph had made, he ran inside quickly as he heard Katara call out for the water only to walk in on the most horrifying sight he had ever seen. Sokka felt dizzy as he saw the blood before he fainted with a soft thud on the ground.

"Ugh…" Sokka groaned as he opened his eyes to see a damp cloth had been put over his eyes. Sokka sat up to see he had been dragged out of the tent after his little mishap and was at Toph's feet. Aang was sitting at the other side of the tent opening.

"Someone is a little more fragile than I would have thought for a warrior." Toph always had to bring a man down a few more pegs didn't she?

"How long have I been out?" Sokka scooted so that he had his back to the tent and sighed as he wiped his face with the damp rag.

"Only a few mintues." Toph stated boredly.

Sokka didn't think he would have the stomach to walk in the tent just yet and so he stayed beside the small earth bender. He pressed his hand against his stomach and mentally groaned as he wondered if the same thing was going to happen to him.

It looked like the lady was being split in half!

The happy cries of a healthy child filled the air and Sokka followed Toph into the tent. He stared at the newborn baby in surprise.

"It's soo…squishy." He knelt down and smiled as the baby continued sleeping in its mother's arms.

It was so small.

"I think we should give the family some time alone." Katara ushered everyone out and Sokka took one look at Suki before he grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the group.

If he was going to tell her, now would be the time.

"Suki, I…"

"No, Sokka, I think I understand." Suki quickly interrupted him and he just blinked at her.

"You do?"

"Yes.." She sighed before she smiled sadly at him. "Katara told me about Yue, and I understand, its not my place to force you into something when you are clearly still getting over someone else."

She looked so cute as she spoke, Sokka wanted to pull her into a kiss and tell her that he really did care for her.

But it wouldn't be fair.

"Yue did mean a lot to me but that it not the problem." Sokka saw her surprise and then she looked at him quizzically, waiting for him to explain.

Sokka opened his mouth to continue but sighed. Going 'I'm pregnant' just seemed kind of tactless right now and then there would most like have to be a lengthy explanation and then she might yell at him, or she would just stop talking to him. Sokka didn't want to lose her friendship over this, she had taught him many things in their short time together on Kyoshi island.

Sokka started untying his belt and she took a step back in surprise before he grabbed her hand and place it gently on his growing belly. She seemed confused for a second before her eyes widened just as Sokka felt the baby kick, he had been hoping the kid would move for her; it just didn't have to move that hard.

"Sokka?" Suki looked at him confused and he smiled sadly at her this time.

"A lot has happened since I last saw you, I didn't know how I could tell you….but yeah, as you can feel, I'm pretty darn preggers." Sokka stated light heartedly hoping that the conversation wouldn't lean to the heavy side.

"I had no idea!" Suki pressed against his stomach a little firmer and then did the one thing he had not been expecting.

She smiled.

"Whose the lucky father?" The exclaimed proudly only for her smiled to drop instantly at the face Sokka couldn't help but make at that comment. "Is he?"

"Let's just say the situation wasn't in my control but it doesn't matter. I've decided to be a single dad." He rubbed his stomach fondly before tying his tunic back together so that he was covered again.

"But Sokka…"

"Don't worry about it Suki." Sokka put his hands on her shoulders and smiled. "I care for you, I really do but…."

Suki just smiled at bowed her head a bit before pulling Sokka into a tight hug. "I have to head back to the port anyway. Me and the other warriors have a few more things we need to do before we head back to the island."

It seemed like only minutes passed before Suki was gone and Aang was taking them to the top of the wall to show them the giant drill.

Team Avatar never got a break, did it?

MMM

The city of Ba Sing Se was more amazing than Sokka had ever thought it would be, it was huge and the walls were huge and while he was beginning to agree with Toph about what she had told them when the first entered the city.

He was getting tired of the rules and regulations.

Especially Long Feng and his Dai Li…..though the water tribe teen had to admit that he was almost just feeling sorry for Joo Dee. After that whole fiasco at the bear's birthday party and the truth about how Ba Sing Se ran things here Sokka was finding it hard to find anyone he would trust above the third ring of the city.

Aang and Katara had run out to ask about Appa to anyone they passed on the street while Toph had decided to sleep the day in her room. Sokka thought Toph's idea was the best since his whole body was aching but he had errands he actually had to do today.

The first one was finding a healer who wasn't under control of the Dai Li, he didn't want Long Feng finding out about his….his uh…condition and then finding some way to use it against them. They already were at a stand still with the man using Appa against them.

And quite frankly it was getting a little hard to hide his stomach by just tying his tunic loosely.

"Toph, I'll be back before dark!" Sokka yelled as he left the door, knowing she heard him and was probably cursing him for waking her up.

The water tribe teen glanced around the upper ring before groaning and heading towards the train station so that he could get down to the lower ring, where he knew Long Feng's influence hadn't reached yet. He groaned as the train jolted forcing him to fall in his seat.

Ba Sing Se was really amazing, and despite the terrible things Long Feng was doing here, Sokka couldn't help but respect the man for keeping the city so orderly, even in war.

The tan teen yawned as they finally made it to his stop and he hoisted himself off of his seat, stretching before he made his way out onto the streets. When he had told Katara his plan of finding a healer in the lower ring she had been reluctant to agree with the idea, since there were more sanitary places in the upper rings but Sokka had convinced her.

He felt that he would most likely find better healers down in the lower ring, some who had to leave their village because of the fire nation and since everyone in the lower ring was more than likely a refugee, he knew that he could find someone that wouldn't ask too many questions.

Sokka went through the seemingly labyrinth of houses before he spotted a house with furs hanging on the outside. It almost reminded him of home.

"Can I help you young man?" An old woman was sitting in her chair in front of the house and smiled as Sokka tentatively approached her.

"I was just admiring your furs." Sokka gave the older woman a small bow out of respect before he looked at the older woman hopefully. "You wouldn't know by any chance….where I could find a healer?"

"A healer?" The woman eyed Sokka knowingly before she smiled at the teen. "Or a midwife?"

"Is it that obvious?" Sokka's voice cracked as he pulled his tunic out a little more so that it was even looser around his waist.

The old woman just let out a low laugh that sounded like gravel before she coughed. Sokka went over to her to make sure she was okay before she patted his arm softly. "My name is Min, my daughter and granddaughter were the healers of our village, back home…"

The old woman got up with help of her walking stick and made her way inside the house, motioning for Sokka to follow. The teen smiled at the old lady's back as he went into the small house, there were stairs to the side that probably led to the rooms on the top floor while the bottom floor was set up like almost like the healer's hut he had seen in the North Pole, with a table to the center of the room and another room that had more privacy with doors.

"Gran Min, has mom come back from sho-" A cute girl with long hair that was pulled back paused as she saw Sokka, she was around his age the water tribe teen noticed. "Can I help you?"

"He looks like he is a few months along." Min turned to Sokka before she took a seat in the room and motioned for Sokka to sit on the table in the middle. There was a white ox bear pelt covering the table and Sokka enjoyed the soft fur as he made himself more comfortable. "I found that furs make the tables more comfortable and help relax our patients."

"It reminds me of home." Sokka admitted with a smile.

"Um…." The girl looked at her grandma as if still waiting for an explanation.

"Jin, this is…." The grandma's eyes widened before she looked at Sokka as if she hadn't realized she didn't know his name.

"Sokka." The teen spoke quickly.

"Sokka," Min continued, "If you could just give him a check up, check his health, see if you notice anything weird about the baby."

"Baby." Jin paused as she looked at Sokka before she went a cabinet that was against the wall and pulled a few things out then turned to Sokka. "If you could lay down, it'll make it more comfortable for you, and easier for me."

Sokka followed her instructions noticing the blush on the girl's cheeks as he undid his tunic. It was nice to see the girl had some reaction to him. The girl put lotion in her hands before she gently rubbed Sokka's stomach, both of their faces heating up at the delicate touch.

Sokka hadn't expected to be treated by a cute young woman after all.

"How many months are you?" Jin asked causing Sokka to make eye contact with her.

"Around six months…a little more than…Ah!" Sokka gasped as she touched a particularly sensitive spot of his skin.

"Your six months?" Jin and Min both said at the same time while looking at the teen.

"Is there something wrong?" Sokka sat up to look at the grandma but she didn't look worried.

"You are just very small for being so far a long." Jin quickly explained her surprise before she grabbed another bottle and poured is onto Sokka's stomach before continue the same hand motions she had done before.

It smell nice, Sokka had to admit about the lotion, and it was nice to know that there was nothing wrong with being small, he had his doubts after seeing the woman who had given birth after Serpent's pass.

The reminded him.

"Um…how is this…thing gonna come out?" Sokka looked over at Jin who looked like she wanted to laugh at his question.

"Have you not had anyone explain this to you?" Min's voice spoke and even though Sokka's couldn't see her while he was lying on his back, he could tell she was still in her seat.

"I haven't really had time to stop, until now that is." Sokka didn't feel like going into the details.

"You feel really tense but the baby seems fine." Jin pulled back and wiped her hands on the apron she was wearing before getting a rag and wiping of Sokka's stomach. "You need to take care of yourself more."

"But the kid is fine?" Sokka smiled as he rubbed his stomach.

"Yes, and about your question earlier…" Jin traced one of her fingers just under Sokka's stomach. "When the time comes you will most likely have to have the child cut out right here, it shouldn't leave a bad scar though so don't worry."

"Really?" Sokka looked at his stomach intrigued before he was suddenly forced to turn on his side as Jin, now comfortable with what she was doing to him, slipped of his tunic off the rest of the way. "Wha?"

"Since your have been having the check ups that we normally suggest, I thought I would check your health now that we know the baby is okay. It shouldn't take long." Jin smiled but Sokka couldn't see it as he stared at the wall, there was a small commotion before another woman's voice filled the room.

"I see you have patient Jin, I was expecting you to be at the tea shop by now." Sokka heard the amusement in the other woman's voice and felt Jin's hands heat up in embarrassment.

"Tea shop?" Sokka asked tilting his head so that he could look at the girl's blushing face.

"They have very good tea." Min stated before her voice added amused, "Or they better have, because she is spending her savings going there every day."

"Gran Min!" Jin's hands pushed a little harder on Sokka and the boy smirked.

"You like someone at that shop?" Sokka teased receiving a glare from the girl.

"Oh, you're pregnant." Sokka noticed an older woman lean over Jin and smile. "Jin if you want to get going I can finish here."

Sokka felt the older woman's hands on his skin and tried not to laugh as she almost tickled his sides.

"I'm Sokka." The teen felt a little weird but then the woman released her hold on him and helped him sit up with a smile.

"I'm Toko, and you seem to be in good enough health, though I strongly suggest you start taking vitamins now that you are entering your last months, your health now is very crucial for the child's safe delivery." She handed Sokka his tunic and smiled at her daughter who ran back in the room with her hair braided in two, smiling at them.

"I hope Lee says yes." Jin smiled as she blushed, thinking about her crush.

"Oh, you got it bad." Sokka shook his head before frowning and gently rubbing his stomach.

"Don't forget to pick up a new basket for me on your way back home." Toko smiled at her daughter and Sokka smiled over at Jin.

"Good luck!" He yelled as she ran out of the house and he slid of the table, wrapping his tunic back around himself. "And what do I owe you for this?"

Sokka paid them and thanked them for the vitamins they provided. The teen made his way back home with a lighter step, everything seemingly better now that he knew everything was okay with his body.

He even knew how he was going to have the kid!

And while being cut open might not have been the top of Sokka's list of how he wanted it to happen, after watching one woman look like she was about to be split in half, cutting was definitely the better option.

Now all they needed was to find Appa and life would be back to how it was supposed to be.

MMM

Please Review.

Have a great weekend!


	4. Change

Hey!

Here's the next chapter.

Wont waste time with tales of where I've been lol.

ENJOY!

MMM

Chapter 4: Change

MMM

Sokka groaned as he opened his eyes, he felt so heavy.

He sat up slowly, getting to his knees before suddenly feeling like his stomach had jumped into his throat. Sokka ran faster than he should have been able to before he found the nearest vase and emptied his stomach into it.

"Sokka, is everything okay?" Katara opened the door to Sokka's room and seeing her brother quickly ran over to him. "Is it morning sickness?"

"It's a little late for that, don't you think?" Sokka groaned as he let his sister massage his back before helping to his feet so that he could wash up in the restroom.

It had taken a while to find Appa but the group had managed to get their bison back and even take down Long Feng. With the Earth king on their side now, things had gotten a little easier for the group, Sokka had managed to continue seeing the family of healers he had met, and the group had a meeting with the King later this after noon.

Apparently Long Feng had some stuff that might interest the group.

Since everything had finally calmed down Katara had bought some pregnancy books she had found at the book store, and since then she had been marking off any symptom she thought he had.

Moodiness had been first on her list.

"I think you have a fever." Katara's hand pressed firmly against his forehead and Sokka groaned.

"I'm okay Katara." Sokka pushed his sister's hand away before rinsing out his mouth and then washing his face. When he stood back up he saw that Katara and Aang were looking at him with worry, Toph not looking at him but frowning nonetheless, "I will go see Miss Toko before we meet the with the earth king, okay."

"Maybe you should see one of the healers up here-"

"I'm fine Katara." Sokka cut his sister off before grabbing the sink to steady his balance. He had suddenly felt really dizzy, maybe he should go to Toko now. "Can someone get me my bag, I'll be back soon."

Aang grabbed Sokka's bag and handed it to the teen before they watched Sokka walk out of the building. It was apparent that the teen didn't want them worrying over him but….now that they had Appa back; Aang was more worried about Sokka.

Sokka groaned as he stood on the train, it was unnaturally busy today and that meant all the seats were taken. His legs hurt, his back hurt, his head hurt, well quite frankly, Sokka's whole body hurt. It took longer than it should have to get to the lower level and Sokka walked his well worn path to the healer's house.

"Sokka!" Jin was outside hanging some blankets to dry before she stopped what she was doing and ran up to the other teen. "Is everything okay?"

"I don't feel so good." Sokka mumbled as he let her lead him to the check up table, glancing around to see that her mother and grandmother were out.

"You feel like you have a fever, hold on one second." Jin gently pushed Sokka down and opened his tunic.

This would make it Sokka's fourth visit since he had been in Ba Sing Se, and the two had grown used to each other, enough for her to no longer blush and him to not tense when she basically did what she wanted with his body.

"So, hear from Lee yet?" Sokka sighed as her hands went to work on his stomach a little rougher than what he was used to. "I'll take that as a no."

"His uncle was able to open his very own tea shop and I haven't seen them since." Jin lightened her touch.

"He was a jerk anyway." Sokka tried to ease her mind, being rejected never felt good, "I mean, what does 'it's complicated' even mean!"

"I know right?" Jin huffed before she handed Sokka a small glass full of green liquid. "Drink this and it should break the fever."

"Excuse me!" Sokka and Jin both jumped as an old man ran into the room before his eyes stopped on Sokka.

"Mister Mushi!" Jin wiped her hands in her apron as she turned the older man. "I'm currently with a patient, is it an emergency?"

"Patient." Iroh eyed Sokka, and the teen couldn't cover himself with his tunic because he was sitting on top of it. The retired general knew, there was no way Sokka could hide his state but the old man said nothing and instead turned to Jin. "I need some medicine, my nephew is sick."

"What's wrong with Lee?" Jin ran to the cabinet and grabbed some medicine as Iroh listed the symptoms.

Lee? Mushi? The Lee that Jin had gone on a date with was Zuko?

How dare that bastard enjoy himself while Sokka was battling the Dai Li! Sokka blinked before he looked at Jin, then again, now he understood why 'Lee' had said things were complicated.

Nothing was more complicated that Zuko.

"Sokka…" Iroh started but Jin turned around quickly and looked at the two of them as she mixed some weird concoction in a small bowl she seemed to have grabbed out of no where.

"You guys know each other?" Jin looked over at Sokka in surprise. "You didn't tell me you knew Lee."

"I don't know Lee." Sokka stated in his defense before he looked over at the old man. "Well I kind of know him but I didn't think your Lee was the same as the one I know."

"We ran across each other a few times in our travels." Iroh stated and Sokka almost wanted to say something sarcastic about that but remained silent. "But maybe we should catch up another time."

Sokka looked at the other man, had he just been offered a way out of this already weird and abnormal turn of events?

"Yeah." Sokka agreed and then frowned when the older man smiled.

"You should come by my new apartment for some tea, I trust you are free this afternoon?" Sokka was about to say that he was too busy but frowned as he felt Iroh stare at him.

He felt that no matter what he said, Iroh was going to get him to come over for tea.

Better sooner than later.

"I have some plans already but I can stop by after." Sokka turned away as Iroh smiled at him, he did not like the old man in that moment. Though it was good to see that Iroh was okay, since the last time Sokka had seen him the old man had been unconscious.

"It best if he sweats out the fever, but here is something to help with any discomfort he is feeling." Jin handed him a small pouch of powder. "Brew it like tea and it should work fine, a spoonful should be enough for one cup."

"Thank you young lady." Iroh bowed gratefully before he handed her some coins. "And I will see you later Sokka."

"Yeah." Sokka sighed before he laid back down again.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence between the two teens left behind before Sokka got up and pulled his tunic around himself. Jin looked like she was about to question him before he smiled at her.

"I'm actually feeling much better." Sokka lied. "That drink really did help."

"Okay…but-" Jin started.

"I will be back soon, remember I am supposed to see your mom next week so that she can explain the surgery to me, more in dept that is." Jin smiled before she pushed the money Sokka was offering her away.

"A small check up like this is on me. Now get going, and don't exert yourself." Sokka just nodded before he made his way out of the house and headed back towards the train.

He was supposed to meet with everyone to go see the earth king later but that didn't mean he could take a walk before going back to their current residence.

MMM

The meeting with the king had been educational; apparently Long Feng had been hiding their mail from them. Aang was going to leave to meet with some Guru, Toph was going to visit her mom who happened to be in the city, and Katara was going to go join their dad on the front.

Sokka had to stay behind to help the earth King plan the invasion. He wanted to go see his dad, he hadn't seen the man in over two years but….Sokka glanced at his stomach before sighing.

He couldn't see his dad like this.

There was no way he was going to be able to help his dad out in this condition anyway.

At least in Ba Sing Se he could help the king plan.

Sokka sighed as he watched everyone pick up there stuff and pack what they thought they needed. They would be separating in the morning. Sokka left his bag on the ground before briefly mentioning something about a walk then leaving the house with out much resistance from his friends.

They had backed off a bit after he told them that Jin had said he was fine.

"I was wondering if you were going to come." Iroh stated in good nature as he opened his door wider so that Sokka could enter and the teen made his way into the neat apartment.

"I almost thought about not." Sokka admitted truthfully before he took a seat at the table near the window. He glanced around to see that there was a room behind two doors that was cracked open.

Zuko was probably in there.

"Prince Zuko is still sleeping off his fever." Iroh stated as he took a seat by Sokka, bringing two cups of tea with him. "Have some tea."

"Thanks." Sokka mumbled as he stared into the cup.

What now?

Why had the old man invited him over here anyway?

"How far along are you?"

"What?" Sokka almost dropped the cup in his surprise and quickly set it down on the table, no point in breaking the man's cup. "Oh, um, seven months now, maybe a little more."

"I see." Iroh stated and sipped his tea.

Another blanket of silence settled over them and Sokka picked at the bottom of his tunic. He looked up to see Iroh enjoying the rest of his tea and took that time to study the apartment, it was a lot nicer that Sokka would have thought it would have been. His eyes fell on the doors that were ajar and he frowned.

"Zuko will be fine." Iroh stated. "He is just coming to terms with a big decision he recently made."

"Hmph." Sokka played as if he was uninterested and changed the topic. "Did you really only want me here to drink tea?"

Iroh smiled at the young warrior. "I was hoping to have a little more of a pleasant conversation before we got to the point but since you are so adamant…..Is that child Zuko's?"

"You know?" Sokka almost yelled before he swore at himself and clenched his fist.

"I had an idea, but I wanted to hear it from you too." Iroh was about to continue but Sokka cut him off.

"I don't know if the kid's Zuko's." He took a deep breath, if Iroh knew about what had happened between him and the prince then surely he knew about what had happened between him and the other bastard.

"Ah…Zhao…" Iroh nodded in understanding as he frowned. "I am very sorry about what happened back then."

"It wasn't your fault." Sokka felt his jaw clench. "And the bastard's dead now any way."

If Iroh had anything to say about that he didn't let it show, instead he poured himself another cup of tea and remained silent.

"From what I heard, Zhao was impotent." Iroh stated off handedly and Sokka glanced at him in surprise.

"But…" Sokka felt a smile form on his face regardless. "Who would want to claim that man as the father to their child?"

"Ah, good point." Iroh rubbed his beard.

The silence was a little more pleasant this time and Sokka couldn't help but smile. He knew Iroh was trying to cheer him up but he had already made a decision about this child.

"Don't tell Zuko, the kid's not his anyway and he really doesn't need to know." Sokka stated as seriously as he could, making sure Iroh would honor his wish. "I will raise this kid on my own, it has to be that way."

"I'm not sure if that is fair to him." Iroh stated calmly.

"Fair to him?" Sokka's voice cracked, "Since when do I care if anything is fair for Zuko? Do you think what I have to go through is fair for me?"

"You misunderstand." Iroh's remained level despite Sokka's yelling. "Zuko should know because there is a possibility that the child is his, I say this because I care for my nephew and I know he would want to know."

"And then what?" Sokka scoffed, "Am I supposed to go into hiding with you and him and abandon my friends, abandon the avatar, just because I had his child?"

"No, I wasn't-"

"And what about when Aang finally beats the Fire Lord, then what? Am I supposed to give up everything I know and follow him to his nation because he is the prince and I am some mere water tribe peasant? I don't think so!"

"Sokka, this isn't something you should face alone."

"I won't be alone!" Sokka glared at the older man. "I will have my family, my friends and people I trust, people who haven't threatened the safety of me or my friends. You cannot tell Zuko, I have enough to worry about and I don't need him trying to get involved with a kid that is more than likely not his."

"What will happen when the child is born, if I can ask?" Iroh didn't want to upset the teen any further, the teen had visibly paled at the mention of telling Zuko.

Did Sokka hate people of the fire nation that much?

"When it's born, it will be mine." Sokka smiled softly as he rubbed his stomach. "I will be it's mother and father, though I am sure my Gran Gran will help out a lot too."

"I understand." Iroh stated gravely before he placed a hand on the teen's shoulder. "You are a strong man Sokka."

Sokka smiled before bowing to the older man.

"Thank you."

MMM

The Aang Gang had already been separated for two days by the time that the generals and Sokka finally agreed on a plan for invasion. Sokka had been aggravated about not seeing Suki since her arrival but at the same time he didn't really know how to approach her.

Sokka coughed, feeling a little woozy, he was still trying to get over this cold he seemed to have caught.

Sokka hadn't heard anything from Iroh since their little talk and was honestly relieved that the older man seemed to have reached some sort of understanding with him.

The teen made his way with the direction for the King to stamp and paused as he noticed a new tea shop. Sokka suddenly had a strong urge for Oolong tea and maybe a cake if they served it. The water tribe teen whistled with Momo on his shoulder as he made his way to the entrance.

The Jasmine Dragon was a very nice tea shop Sokka had to admit. He held up his finger to ask for a table for one when a very familiar voice caught his attention. Sokka felt his body tense as he watched Zuko walk across the floor with an apron on.

So this was Iroh's new tea shop?

Sokka spared one glance for the prince, who seemed to be a lot healthier now before his mind caught up with him. What was he doing? There was no way he could hide the fact that he was pregnant now and he did not need Zuko asking him about this. The water tribe teen took off running away from the shop, he stopped as he found himself in front of the palace and wobbled on his feet.

He should really stop running around like this.

Sokka made his way up the stairs at a slower pace until he was about to make his way up to the throne room. Maybe after he got the king to stamp this then he could go take a nap, and then maybe he could get Momo to sleep on his stomach again, because the warmth really did feel nice sometimes.

"Suki!" Sokka smiled as he saw the Kyoshi warriors sitting in front of the throne. He made his way over to her, "And I need to see the earth King, but I need to tell you something first."

Sokka pulled her into a quick hug so that he could whisper in her ear. "I just ran into Zuko and I need to tell you something."

"Really?" Sokka felt his blood run could before he shoved the girl away from him; finally taking a good look at her.

"No."

"Indeed." Azula folded her arms and Sokka quickly backed away before he felt a few sharp jabs forcing him to fall to the ground. "So ZuZu is here as well…."

Sokka tried to slow down his heart rate as he heard the girls plan. He had to get out of here, as soon as he could feel his legs again, he had to get out and warn the others, warn the earth King.

The water tribe teen didn't have much time to think before he was lifted in the air by one of the guards. He tried to ignore the dizziness as he was flipped over, he thought he heard Momo chatter before the lemur flew away and then there was another sharp jab before everything went black.

"Ugnn" Sokka tasted dirt in his mouth.

He noticed a weird green glow and sat up to find himself in a weird looking cave. There was a tunnel that looked like a trash chute and Sokka realized that they had probably let him fall from there. The teen winced as he forced himself to his feet, at least even when he was unconscious Sokka had managed to slide down on his back, though now the skin was tender from the rough ground.

Judging by his head ache he must have been out for a while, the teen started make his way around the cave to see if he could find a way out. It was futile but Sokka had kind of figured it would be, the teen made his way over to some crystals that were in front of the chute and leaned against them.

Waiting.

Waiting for what, Sokka didn't know but the water tribe teen figured the only way in and out was this chute since he wasn't an earth bender. Sokka went over the rough soil and placed his hands against it trying to feel if he could get a good grip.

Maybe he could climb up?

Sokka didn't have time to make a choice though because suddenly there was screaming and a body came down the tube, knocking his legs out from underneath him and sending him forward onto the soft body that had crashed into him.

This could not be good for the baby.

Sokka groaned as he lifted himself up with one arm and grabbed his stomach with the other. He was only barely off the other person when blue eyes met gold.

"Zuko."

The prince stared up at the teen that was on top of him. First Azula and now the water tribe peasant was in the same hole they had thrown him in? Zuko opened his mouth but before he could ask Sokka what the teen was doing down here the younger teen fell forward, grabbing his stomach in pain.

"What's wrong?" Zuko pulled the teen up before his hands were suddenly shoved away and the other teen was scooting away from him until he was stopped by the nearest crystals.

Sokka tried those calming breathing exercises that Aang had taught him, why of all people did they have to throw Zuko in here? Sokka flinched again as he felt a biting pain in his side, he must have bruised a rib, or at least Sokka hoped it was only a bruised rib.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Zuko's voice was closer than Sokka wanted the fire nation prince to be to him at that moment.

There was no way he could hide his condition, there was no way Zuko wouldn't be able to put two and two together about the possibility that the child was his, everything he had wanted was going to be taken from him and Sokka couldn't help but want to hold onto that control for as long as possible.

"Please stay right where you are." Sokka held out his hand stopping Zuko from getting any closer, Sokka realized how close he was to actually touching the other teen at that moment and curled his legs to his chest, or as close to his chest as they could get with his stomach.

"Sokka, if you are hurt you need to let me check it out, let me see how serious it is." Zuko's voice was annoyed but Sokka kept his hand firmly in place.

As firmly in place a shaking hand could be.

A strong hand grasped Sokka's and the teen watched in silence as Zuko held onto his hand and moved closer to him. The prince placed his other hand on Sokka's knee gently making the water tribe teen relax his legs so they were no longer between them. Zuko let go of Sokka's hand and placed it on the teen's tunic, opening it slowly so that he could see the injury.

"Wait." Sokka pushed on Zuko's shoulder but Zuko pulled Sokka's tunic apart without hesitating, revealing Sokka's now bigger stomach and a few bruises on his side.

"You?" Zuko looked at Sokka questioningly before the other teen pulled Zuko closer to him so that Zuko was staring over his shoulder and Sokka was staring over Zuko's.

He didn't want to look him in the face, not right now.

"I'm pregnant." Sokka stated as calm as he could with his mind racing. "Have been for a while now…."

"But-" Zuko tried to scoot back so that he could look at Sokka but the other teen had a firm grip on him. "How?"

"It's Zhao's." Sokka spoke quickly.

At that Zuko did pull away, Sokka's hands now resting on the prince's chest, not hiding the stomach anymore. Zuko stared down at the water tribe teen only to see the blue eyes looking away from him and the prince's eyes widened.

"You're lying." This caused Sokka to look at him in surprise.

"Wha- no, I'm telling you the truth, the kid is Z-"

"No, no way!" Zuko growled.

"But…" Sokka watched as the prince's eyes wavered before looking back at him.

"You can get pregnant?" Zuko back tracked and it cause Sokka to almost smile at the surprised look of the other teen.

"Do you think I'm faking this?" Sokka asked with sarcasm as he straightened out his back so that the stomach poked out a little more.

"And the kid's…." Zuko grabbed Sokka's face so that they were eye to eye. "The kid's mine."

Sokka's eyes widened before he shoved Zuko's hands away only to have the prince grab his arms. Sokka glared at the prince threateningly, "NO."

"But-"

"The kid is Zhao's." Sokka kept his voice firm.

"Why would you want the kid to be Zhao's, did you forget what he did before I saved you from Zhao? What make's the kid his and not mine?" Zuko asked all the questions that Sokka had wanted to avoid. "Are you so determined to push me away that you would want…._his_?"

Sokka faced down at the ground.

"Look me in the eye!" Zuko yelled and when Sokka did he noticed how defeated the other teen looked. Zuko lost anything he had been planning to say as he looked at those blue eyes that seemed to be begging him to stop this, the prince closed his eyes with a growl before forced the other teen into a kiss.

Sokka shoved him away but Zuko just tightened his hold before forcing his way into the other's mouth. Sokka's grip tightened on Zuko's shirt but instead of pushing the prince away he just held on. Zuko freed one hand and brought it down to the other teen's chest enjoying how Sokka shivered at the touch.

Sokka opened his mouth willingly submitting to the prince earning a hungry growl, his hands slid up Zuko's chest to his neck then to the prince's hair.

Zuko warmed his hand as he gently slid it down Sokka's chest, until it rested on top of the teen's pregnant belly.

"Stop it!" Sokka broke away from the kiss and stared down at the hand on his stomach. All his nerves returning back to him before he felt the baby move in his stomach causing him to gasp. "Ah…"

Zuko's eyes widened as he felt a gentle nudge on his hand and looked at Sokka with an excited expression. Sokka felt his heart jump at Zuko's expression; the prince actually looked so young in that moment. There was another movement and Sokka wanted to curse the kid for moving so much with Zuko there.

"He keeps kicking me." Zuko's voice was light.

"Maybe my hatred for fire benders has gotten to him and he's just trying to beat you up." Sokka smirked at Zuko's frown.

"Sokka..I've….you have to understand,,," Zuko looked away from the other teen before he felt a hand touch his face.

Touch his scar.

Sokka didn't know why he did it, he just saw how close the prince was and then the scar was right there.

It looked like it hurt.

A lot.

Gold eyes closed and Sokka felt the prince tense but not move away. The water tribe teen pressed against the marred skin before he moved his hand so that it was covering that side of the prince's face. Sokka took note of how Zuko could be considered decent looking but moved on as he let his hand slide down until is stopped at Zuko's lips.

"Can't it be mine?" Zuko whispered against Sokka's fingers.

"No…" Sokka whispered back as his hand dropped from the prince's face.

"But….I…." Zuko pressed his forehead against Sokka's, forcing the other to curl into him. "I've changed…..I…."

Sokka silenced Zuko with a kiss, wrapping his arms around the fire nation prince. Sokka moved his legs apart to make more room for Zuko and his stomach before he pulled away receiving a confused look from the prince.

"I can't…" Sokka didn't finished as he watched Zuko grab his hand and kiss it gently.

"Please…" Zuko pressed his lips against the palm of Sokka's hand. "I've thought about it since our last meeting…since before then even."

Sokka felt his heart sink.

"I….Sokka….I can't stop thinking about you….I've been trying…trying so hard to stop these…these…_feelings._" Zuko let out a deep breath after the last word, the warm air caressing Sokka's skin. "And now…there's a chance that that child is mine, I have a chance to….have some sort of actually connection to you and you won't let me have it."

"Zuko…."

But before Sokka could finish what he was going to say there was an explosion of dirt and the ground shook. Zuko jumped up ready to fight, blocking Sokka off from whoever was there as the other teen quickly tied his tunic back together.

"Sokka?" Aang ran out of the dust and froze as he saw Zuko standing over his friend.

"Prince Zuko!" Iroh ran in the cave and hugged his nephew, glad to see that Zuko was still safe and unharmed by Azula.

Sokka got off the ground and made his way around the two fire benders and ran to his friend who hugged him tightly. "Sokka!"

"How did you know I was here? I thought you would be with the Guru for longer!" Sokka squeezed his tiny friend back, avoiding Zuko's gaze as he looked over at Iroh.

"You guys go help your friends out, I need to talk with Prince Zuko for a second." Iroh gave Sokka a smile before he turned to his nephew and Sokka was pulled out of the room by Aang.

"Where is everybody?" Sokka ran after Aang, turning wherever the air bender turned.

"They went to go warn the king, we are supposed to meet them in the throne room." Aang shouted before there was a huge explosion in front of them, cutting off their exit.

Sokka hit the rock wall hard. He watched in horror as Azula and Aang started fighting, the ground shaking at their battle. Toph and Katara fell through the ceiling, the earth bender fighting off the Dai Li as Katara jumped down to help Aang.

He reached for his boomerang only to realize he didn't have his weapons since they had taken them before throwing him in the crystal prison.

Everything was moving so fast.

Then fire exploded in the middle of the room separating all the fights to reveal Zuko. Sokka watched in horror as the teen he had just been locked in with attacked his friend.

Why?

Why, after he thought the prince had changed?

Sokka ran out to yell at the bastard, to threaten him, berate him, call him out for the coward he was but Sokka didn't make it on the field before the was thrown back into the wall by another explosion.

There were too many.

There were too many people and Zuko had betrayed him.

Zuko…

Sokka ignored the pain in his chest as he stumbled away from the wall before feeling something warm on his side. The teen moved his hand from his side to see a thick red liquid covering his tan fingers.

Oh spirits.

Sokka turned to see he had pierced by one of the crystals in the wall.

He didn't have time to think about his own injuries! Sokka made his way to a clearing to see that Aang had shut himself in a crystal barricade, he jumped when a Dai Li agent flew past him but found what he was looking for.

Zuko was fighting his sister.

Sokka ran over to them, ducking as rocks flew past his head, ignoring the dizziness before he made it to a stone pillar. Sokka never had time to punch Zuko, to yell at the bastard because Aang exploded from his crystal hide out, his tattoos and eyes glowing with a different kind of fury.

Sokka watched in awe as his friend rose in the air.

The avatar state had always amazed Sokka, how his little monk friend was able to wield such power.

Sokka felt a hand grab him to see Toph smiling at him as she dragged him to a wall. Sokka heard a loud noise and then the cave was completely silent except her a gasp from his sister.

Sokka turned to see Aang fall to the ground, Azula with her hand in the air enjoying the success of her attack.

He watched in horror as his sister flooded away the opposition before catching the avatar. He ran to their side before collapsing at his sister's feet.

This was not the time for his body to be giving up on him!

Toph stood in front of them, ready to defend from any attack that might come. Zuko and Azula making their way over to the small group.

Sokka didn't spare Azula a glance as he glared at Zuko. He didn't know why he should have been so surprised by the prince's betrayal but he was. He couldn't stop the tightening of his chest as the prince's eyes met his.

Sokka wanted to yell and scream at him but before he could say anything fire shot out at the two siblings. Iroh yelled at them to run, he would hold the kids back and Sokka's heart broke.

Sokka knew how much Zuko meant to Iroh, knew how much the man would do for his nephew but the man was here now, facing his Zuko, to protect Aang and the future Sokka was fighting for. Toph didn't wait for Sokka's tear to roll down his cheek before the were suddenly being pushed into the air. The ground above them was breaking before they even got there.

The light of day shocked Sokka but not as much as finding the earth king and his bear waiting patiently on top of Appa. The teen helped Katara place Aang's body on top of the bison before he collapsed on top of Appa.

He didn't have much time.

Sokka ignored his sisters yelling as he grabbed his bag and handed it to her. It had everything, everything he had planned, had argued with the earth nation generals over, every single plan he had thought of for the attack on the fire nation.

"Sokka…" Tears filled his sister's eyes before she took the bag. Toph was looking down confused, not sure of what was going on but knowing it wasn't good.

Appa was in the air before Katara could voice any complaints; Sokka watched them disappear before he heard a familiar voice. He turned to see who it was but then there was an explosion behind him and everything went black.

MMM

Sokka felt like he was floating.

He opened his heavy eyelids slowly, but only saw darkness. He tried to move but his body screamed at him. He took a deep breath, remembering the attack, remembering Aang's fall, remembering….

Remembering Zuko's betrayal.

Sokka wiped away the tears angrily, forcing himself to sit up and gasping in pain before putting his hand on his stomach.

His wrapped up and smaller stomach.

Sokka jumped to his feet suddenly, ignoring the angry jolts his body was sending him as the tears continues to roll down his cheeks. He fell to his knees as his body buckled under the pain. He bit back a sob as he looked around the dark room.

His baby.

He had lost his baby.

Sokka's heart pounded his chest as he tried to crawl around. He bumped into a table of sorts, knocking it over and sending it's contents to the ground in a loud clatter. The noise stung Sokka's ears before he collapsed to the ground in painful sobs.

Why was this happening to him?

"Sokka?" A soft voice made the teen freeze before the room was suddenly lit dimly by a small lamp that Jin was holding. Miss Toko stood behind her daughter, wiping the sleep from her eyes and holding a small bundle in her arms.

"Jin…Miss Toko?" Sokka's voice hurt but he couldn't stop the tears.

"Sokka!" Jin seemed to have noticed the state he was in as she placed the lantern on the ground and stilled the other teen. "Calm down! You're reopening your wounds!"

"But my stomach!" Sokka tried to explain as the tears continued pouring. The baby wasn't due for almost two months, but his stomach had been cut open, something had happened, why couldn't she see that something was wrong here!

"Shhh Sokka." Miss Toko placed a calming hand on Sokka's forehead before she sat next to the teen. "Your baby is right here, see…."

Sokka ignored Jin's hands as he watched Miss Toko lean forward to reveal a small squishy baby in her arms. It was so much smaller than the one Sokka had seen at Serpent's pass but the baby made a sighing sound and Sokka found himself crying even harder.

"I heard explosions by the royal palace when I went to the new tea shop up there…" Jin started explaining. "I found you collapsed and bleeding and was able to get you here…and by then you had lost so much blood…."

"I was forced to go ahead with the surgery." Miss Toko made cooing noises at the baby in her hands before she smiled over at Sokka. "You gave birth to a very healthy baby boy Sokka."

Sokka felt himself go limp as the emotional strain finally caught up to him. He used the rest of his strength to pull Jin into a hug as he sobbed into her shoulder and the girl returned the hug.

"I was so worried you weren't going to make it!" Jin admitted as she held onto Sokka tighter. "I don't know what's going on or why you were there but I'm glad I found you!"

"Thank you…" Sokka murmured before he felt a strong tug and suddenly he was being pulled up by his feet by both Miss Toko and Jin. He was placed upright on the table he had been sleeping on and Sokka realized he was in the private room in their house.

"Hold your son Sokka, I need to change your bandages and make sure you didn't rip off your stitches." Miss Toko placed the child in his arms and Sokka stared at the small baby.

So small.

"My son…" Sokka whispered before he flinched as there was pressure on a very sensitive injury.

"Your stitches are fine." Miss Toko sighed before she looked at her daughter. "Jin, you can go back to bed."

"But I…" Jin stopped as she saw the look her mother was giving her before she smiled at Sokka and quickly left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Sokka remained silent at the older woman rewrapped his chest and stomach. The baby squirmed a bit until it was more comfortable and went to sleep, clenching it's fingers in front of its face.

"Sokka…" The teen looked at the older woman to see her giving him a serious look. "I never asked you about the details of your daily life but the way you were when my daughter brought you in here…..if you are involved in something that might threaten my family's safety then I need to know now."

Sokka held the child tighter in his arms before he sighed and the woman pulled up a chair so that she was in front of him.

He owed her the truth; she had saved his life and the life of his son.

"I traveled with the Avatar, so I didn't lie when I told you that I traveled a lot. When Jin found me…yesterday?" Sokka didn't know how long he had been out.

"Two weeks ago." Miss Toko corrected and Sokka tried to hold back his surprise. "I was almost afraid that you were never going to wake up."

"Two weeks ago…I…we were tricked by the Dai Li and Azula…she's the princess to the fire nation….and her brother, we were attacked and I was too hurt to escape with them." Sokka sighed.

"Rumors say that avatar is dead." Miss Toko stated and Sokka shook his head at her.

"He can't be."

"The fire nation invaded Ba Sing Se two days after Jin brought you here."

"What?" Sokka's voice cracked at that and he almost made movement like he was going to jump down off the table again but the glare the woman was giving him forced him to stay there. "This wasn't supposed to happen!"

At that outburst Sokka heard a little whimper before he looked in his arms just in time to see his child's pained face before he wailed at the noise. Sokka started making shushing noises and rocking the child slowly, his heart breaking at the sad face his son was making. It took a minute but his son finally quieted and Sokka looked at the woman in surprised to see her smiling at him.

"You are going to make a great father Sokka."

"Thank you." Sokka's voice cracked before the woman leaned forward and scooped the child from his arms.

"Get some rest, you are going to need it now that you are a parent." Sokka watched her leave and then stared at his empty arms before laid back on the table and felt a small smile form on his lips.

He was a parent.

MMM

MMM

MMM

Sooooo…..what do you think?

Hope you guys have been having fun since I've been gone!


	5. Burned

Hey!

I can't believe all the feed back I got for last chapter!

So here's the next chapter! Haven't really beta'd it or anything but I thought you guys should get it asap soooo here it is and I hope you like it!

Enjoy,

MMM

Chapter 5: Burned

MMM

Sokka watched as Miss Toko showed him how to feed his child, the baby squirming in his arms as it too watched her mixed the powder into water, making a substitute for milk. He held the small child in his arms at it gurgled hungrily at him.

"And then it's done." Miss Toko handed him the bottle and Sokka smiled as he brought it to his son's lips and the baby made a small sound before accepting it happily.

"He's sooooo cute!" Sokka smiled happily as he stood up and started walking around the clinic area.

"Once again, yes he's adorable." Miss Toko yawned before she glanced out the window. "I have to go get some groceries but Jin should be back soon, and mother is upstairs so.."

"I've been awake for three days and walking around for two, I think I can handle myself if something happens." Sokka smirked at the older woman and she just rolled her eyes before leaving the house and Sokka just hummed happily as he turned his attention back to his kid.

His son.

"Sokka?" The teen smiled as he noticed Jin standing in the door way and then frowned when she wasn't looking him in the eye.

"What's wrong Jin?" He started to go towards her but she ran in the house and pulled Sokka into the private room. "What's going on?"

"I didn't tell you the whole truth about the day I saved you…don't say anything until I finish, okay?" She glared at him and Sokka sighed, trying to force down the horrible feeling in his stomach.

"Deal."

"I saw Lee there." She paused to see Sokka's reaction before turning away from him. "He actually got to you before I did but then I got there and when he saw me he started yelling at me to take you away. I tried to lift you on my own but he had to help me get you here because I just couldn't hold onto you like that."

"My mom freaked out when she saw you and accused him of putting you in that state and kicked him out of the house." She turned back to him, holding her arm close to her. "He demanded to get to stay by your side because…..because he said….he said he was the father of your child."

"And you're telling me this now?" Sokka's voice cracked before he took a deep breath to relax when his child glared at him for being too loud during food time.

"So he is?" Her voice was defeated and Sokka felt his face harden.

"No." He stated it coldly, his tone surprising Jin but she said nothing of it. "He is not the father."

Sokka stood up suddenly as his stomach felt like it being torn in half. If Zuko had helped her bring him here then that meant Zuko knew where he was…..Sokka turned to the girl quickly. "I have to leave."

"What?" Jin jumped up, not understanding Sokka's sudden need to leave.

"Jin, you have to listen to me." Sokka balanced the baby in one arm as he place his other on her shoulder. "Lee is not who he says he is."

"What do you mean Sokka." Jin frowned before she pushed Sokka's hand away from her. "That's not funny."

"I'm not joking." Sokka stated before he opened the door to the private room and poked his head out wearily making sure the coast was clear. "I have to leave, if I stay there's a good chance Lee will come back."

Jin remained silent as she watched Sokka place his child gingerly on a small bundle of furs that were on the floor before he started placing the stuff Jin's mother had bought him in a bag. Sokka felt like he was having a panic attack as he stuffed some of the powder in the bag.

He had promised Miss Toko he wouldn't bring the family to any danger!

Jin just huffed before she made her way back out of the house, her feet stopping at the door and Sokka felt his heart drop. Was Zuko already here, Sokka felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise up, and cursed Jin for not telling him sooner.

Karma hated Sokka.

Had nobody but Sokka realized yet how much Karma hated him?

The teen quickly grabbed his child and hid behind the bed he had laid on for all of his check ups, his heart pounding in his chest as he felt like his world was being held up by a very thing line.

"Lee! You can't just walk in there!" Jin voice filled the room and soon stomping was heard.

Sokka put a hand over his mouth to cover the sob he wanted to let out that second.

Why was he always right when it was the bad things?

"I know he is still here, where is he!" Zuko's temper rose and Sokka heard him kicked the table beside the bed, sending everything that was on top of it to the ground.

"He's not here!" Sokka jumped when he heard Jin yelp and quickly rounded the table, holding his child close to his chest as he saw Zuko squeezing Jin's wrist.

"Let her go Zuko!" Sokka yelled and Zuko immediately released her, but made no move to get any closer to Sokka, instead the bastard had the balls to look relieved at the sight of Sokka.

There was a loud slap and Sokka stared in shock as Jin's hand left Zuko's cheek, the prince clearly was caught off guard by the sudden attack. The prince growled and Sokka pushed Jin out of the way to have Zuko shove him against the wall roughly.

Sokka groaned but Zuko didn't release his hold. "Why are you here Zuko?"

"I'm taking you with me, back to the fire nation." Sokka turned away from the prince then.

"No."

"What?" Zuko growled and Sokka turned back to the prince and growled back.

"YOU BETRAYED ME!" Sokka's voice caught on the last word and then suddenly there was a small whimper making the teen's eyes go wide before he looked down at his son who was now crying in his arms since his father had yelled. "Shhhhhhh."

Zuko's hold on Sokka softened and Sokka quickly pulled his son tighter against his chest as the prince tried to get a better look.

"Stay away from us!" Sokka tried to get out of Zuko's grip but the prince still had a tight enough one where Sokka would have to try something fancy to get out, but he couldn't while he was holding on to his son. "You're a liar! You're a liar and a traitor!"

"I did what was best for my country!" Zuko defended.

"You tried to kill Aang!" Sokka felt his body start to tremble with rage, his baby still crying but it had quieted down a bit. "You said you had changed but that was just some weird scheme to get me to trust you!"

"No, Sokka I-"

"And the worst part is I fell for it! I trusted a fire bender!" Sokka felt tears prickle at his eyes before he saw a shadow in the door way to see Miss Toko standing there in surprise with Jin behind her. Jin must have run to get her mother.

"What is going on here?" Miss Toko took a step towards Zuko but the teen just growled as raised his hand her making her stop in mid stride.

"Don't you dare Zuko!" Sokka yelled. "I understand if you want to take me as your prisoner but leave them out of this!"

"I don't want you as my prisoner!" Zuko yelled back his fist clenching in aggravation.

"THIS IS NOT YOUR CHILD!" Sokka yelled and then there was a hand against his throat, Sokka made a choking noise as he tried to breathe while Zuko just glared at him.

"Why are you willing to the child be Zhao's." Zuko's voice was low and his hold on Sokka's throat loosened. "The man who _raped_ you!"

Sokka gasped at the air he was able to have. Taking deep breaths as he watched the prince tremble in anger and then he glanced at the two ladies by the door way, noticing that Gran Min had joined them, must have come down stairs when she heard the yelling.

"I would rather the father be Zhao because…" Sokka felt tears finally roll down his cheeks. "Because that dead bastard can't hurt me anymore."

Zuko's face seemed to grow calm after Sokka finished that sentence. The other teen took a deep breath, smoke leaving his mouth to show how mad the prince was at the moment.

"If you don't leave with me, right now." Zuko moved his attention to the women at the door way. "You will not be the only one to suffer from your mistakes."

"You bastard…" Miss Toko took a step forward before her mother grabbed her and ushered her to the side.

Sokka's eyes widened before he closed them in defeat. Zuko let go of Sokka then and moved away from the other teen. Sokka held his bag and the baby firmly in his arms before wiped his face with his shoulders the best he could and walked over to the women who had helped him so much.

"Thank you." Sokka bowed as far as he could with out dropping the child and stood back up. "I am so….so sorry but I have to go with him."

"But Sokka!" Jin was silenced by her mother and Miss Toko nodded at Sokka. The teen moved his child in a more comfortable position so the he could quiet it before turning back to Zuko who seemed to be watching the scene boredly.

"You promise that nothing will happen to them if I follow you?"

"I promise." Zuko ignored the glares he was receiving and placed his hand on Sokka's shoulder before ushering the other teen out of the door and into the street.

They had a ship to catch.

MMM

Sokka sighed as he was escorted to a room by one of guards, he had managed to ignore Zuko after they had left Jin's house, the prince had kept asking him questions but they fell on deaf ears as Sokka tried to think of a way out of this.

The prince had left Sokka as soon as they made it to the deck of a fire nation ship and a guard quickly directed the water tribe teen and son through the halls of the ship until Sokka was shoved into one of the rooms. He glared at the guard who just slammed the door shut behind him and locked it.

"Rude." Sokka stuck his tongue out at the unseen guard and then turned to get a good look at the room. The typical fire nation banner, a dresser and table, a bed, a little stand that had candles lined up on it. There was a small room attached to it and when Sokka peaked into it he realized it was a washroom.

He was probably in Zuko's room.

Sokka felt squirming in his arms and looked down at his child who was whimpering and giving off silent cries. He hadn't been able to put the child to sleep so the baby was probably mad about not getting his nap. Sokka dumped his bag on the bed and then grabbed some of the pillows making a make shift bed for his son and the lying the child down.

"Shhh…go to sleep…shhhh…" Sokka whispered as he rubbed his baby's belly and the baby opened its round gold eyes at him with a small glare as if to say 'I would have been asleep a lot earlier if it wasn't for you'.

Sokka bit his lip as he watched the eyes slowly close, those golden eyes proved who the father was but Sokka was never going to admit it.

The kid was his and solely his.

Sokka felt a sudden jerk and hit his head on the wall before he crawled off the bed, so the ship was officially leaving port. Sokka sighed as he looked around the insanely boring room before he shook his head.

If he was really going to be stuck in this room then he needed to see if there was anything he could use. Sokka took a glance at his son to see the baby staring at him as if trying to figure out what his father was doing. "I thought I told you to go to sleep?"

The baby just gurgled as if he was bored by his father and changed his attention else where.

Sokka ducked down and lifted the blankets on the bed to see if there was anything underneath there but all he found was more metal flooring. If anything it would be a place to hide….Sokka stood up and shifted the table to find that it was bolted to the wall. The water tribe teen just took a deep breath before he went over to the dresser and pulled open the top drawer to reveal fire nation clothing.

Sokka pulled the drawer out and dumped the clothes out and smiled as he measured it with his arm. The drawer was about a foot deep and about three feet in length on each side. He pulled out the second drawer and dumped out another set of red and black clothing before he placed both drawers on the ground.

Sokka pulled on the dresser to see that it too was bolt to the wall and the teen smiled, well if he wasn't going to be able to find any sort of weapon then he could at least make a decent crib for his kid.

Sokka doubt it was just going to be him and the baby in the room.

The baby.

Sokka looked over to his now sleeping son and sighed. He really needed to name the kid but….it was a lot harder than he had thought it would be, he thought that as soon as he saw the kid a name would pop up….but he still got nothing.

Sokka just changed his train of thought back to the task at hand as he broke shelve between the first two drawers and threw it on the ground before he tried pulling off the top of the dresser. He was only to snap half of it off since the back of it was bolted to the wall but it would still give him enough room to reach in and out of the make shift crib. Sokka put the second drawer back in and then starting going through the clothes he had tossed on the floor.

He immediately grabbed everything made of silk and smiled, at least his kid was going to have one nice bed. Sokka went over to the bed and grabbed a pillow and placed it in the bottom of the drawer before wrapping the silk around the hard sides and then pressing his hands over the material so make sure the kid couldn't hurt himself in there.

Sokka grabbed the piece of wood he had broke off from the top and shoved it against the crib drawer and the ground to make sure the drawer wouldn't slide open with his kid in it. Sokka took a few steps back and smiled at his handy work before he went back over to his sleeping child.

The amber eyes glared at him for disturbing his sleep and Sokka smiled.

Maybe he did have a name.

But what?

Kado? Kuson? Koda? Haku? Haka? Sokka rolled his eyes at the suggestions before he glanced at his son.

"Kohaku?" The kid opened his eyes fully at the name. "Really, you like it?"

Sokka smiled made his way over to the crib and placed Kohaku in gingerly receiving a contented gurgle from the baby before it went back to sleep.

"I promise I won't move you around anymore, now sleep." Sokka whispered before grabbing a thin garment from the ground and placing it over the crib's opening so that his son wouldn't be disturbed from the light in the room.

"What are you doing?" Zuko's voice was annoyed but Sokka remained silent, the water tribe teen hadn't heard the metal door open.

Zuko just sighed, he had been expecting to find Sokka up to something but he hadn't plan to find his room trashed. Zuko made his way over the see what Sokka had been up to but wasn't able to get close enough to his dresser before he was suddenly shoved against the wall.

"Leave him alone!" Sokka hissed as he dug his elbow into Zuko's back receiving a growl from the prince. "If you need something then you come to me, leave _my_ son out of this."

Zuko kicked out at the teen behind him, enjoying the feel of the other's body when he made contact, before Sokka had time to fall back though Zuko grabbed the water tribe teen and threw the tan teen against the wall in the same position that Sokka had held him in. Sokka groaned at the pressure in his back before he felt lips against his ear.

"Sokka….I-"

Sokka didn't want to hear what the bastard had to say. He shoved as hard as he could against the wall sending both of the teens to the ground before Sokka hit Zuko in the face with the back of his hand. The tan teen growled as he turned and lunged on top of Zuko and grabbing the prince's hair before hitting him against the metal floor.

Zuko kicked his legs up in the air and flipped Sokka off of him. He punched the other teen and then there was a kick to his stomach. Sokka growled as he shoved Zuko's face away from him and turned to put some space between them only to have his ankle grabbed.

Sokka was dragged on the metal floor back towards the prince before he tried to kick Zuko again only to have his foot blocked. Zuko bared his teeth as he pulled Sokka off the ground and flipped the other teen over sending the younger of the two harshly to the ground.

Sokka panted as he tried to ease his vision, tried to regain his bearings as the room swam around him. There were arms around his waist before he was able to get up and then he was hoisted in the air once more only to be dropped unceremoniously on the bed.

Zuko shoved Sokka's bag and other junk off the bed before he climb over the other boy. Sokka grabbed the prince's tunic and flipped them over so that he was on top of the other, his hands wrapping around Zuko's pale neck as he growled. "I hate you!"

Sokka tried to squeeze the prince's neck, feeling the other swallow under his grip. Sokka tried to even out his breathing as Zuko just stared at him, not glaring, just staring at the water tribe teen.

He couldn't do it.

Sokka wanted answers.

"Why?" Sokka had meant to yell, to scream at the prince but as his voice finally came to him it came out more like a forced whisper. "After everything that we went through, everything that happened…"

"After you said those things…." Sokka released Zuko's neck, he couldn't do it, he hated Zuko, that he was sure of, but he couldn't kill him. "After you said that you changed."

"I have changed." Zuko sat up partly forcing the other teen to scoot down off of his chest and onto his stomach. The prince moved his hands so the he could grab onto Sokka's, just in case the other teen thought of choking him again.

"I can't believe I thought for a second that you could be a good guy." Sokka stared at the pale hands holding onto his tan ones. "You betrayed me."

"I did not betray yo-"

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?" Sokka finally found his voice, his whispers turning into the screams they were mean to be.

"I promised you nothing."

"You promised me everything in that cave! You might not have said the exact words but I heard them for what they were meant to be!" Sokka tried to hit Zuko's chest but the pale hand's tightened around his. "You betrayed me…and you betrayed your uncle!"

"Leave Iroh out of this!" Zuko's hands heated up and Sokka flinched. "I did what was best for my people, I did what was best for my father and I did what was best for my honor."

"There is nothing honorable about killing the only hope left to the world!" Sokka glared at the gold eyes that were regarding him. "What about what's best for me? What about what's best for the world Zuko?"

"I didn't mean for you to get hurt." Zuko's eyes left Sokka's as he averted his gaze.

"I almost died!" Sokka managed to hit Zuko in the chest even though it wasn't as hard as he intended it to be with the prince's hands still holding onto his but he felt it got the point across. "My son could have died!"

Son.

Sokka turned his attention to his make shift crib on the other side of the room. He had almost forgot that his child was sleeping, he held his breath to see if he could hear any noises to see if his child was awake or not but the only thing he could hear was Zuko's breathing.

Sokka felt Zuko shift underneath him and turned to see the prince sitting up the rest of the way, causing the water tribe teen to slide onto the prince's lap this time. Zuko grabbed Sokka's face, there noses ghosting past each other as Sokka glared at him.

"You're an idiot for running back to the man who gave you that scar." Sokka's breath was warm against Zuko's face but the words burned him. Sokka hissed as the grip tightened but kept his eye contact with Zuko, not faltering at the prince's glare.

"You. Don't. Understand." Zuko spoke slowly and each word held more venom than Sokka had ever heard from the teen.

"You're right, I don't understand." Sokka did his best to smirk with the fingers digging into his face. "I thought it was common sense that fathers were supposed to love their children, not scar them, but then again, I'm only a water tribe peasant, right?"

"Yes you are! How could a peasant understand anything I am going through?" Zuko's let go of Sokka's face and shoved the teen on the bed, turning over so that he was on top of the water tribe teen now. "How dare you talk to me like this!"

Sokka laid limply in the bed. His chest rising and falling as he tried to calm down. He couldn't fight Zuko, not like this, even if he was able to over take the teen there was no way he could get off the boat without putting his kid in some kind of danger.

"Sokka-"

"Why am I here Zuko?" Sokka looked up at the prince. "Am I your prisoner?"

"No!" Zuko seemed offended that Sokka would even suggest a thing.

"Then why am I here?"

"Because I want you!" Zuko ran his hands through Sokka's hair, pressing their foreheads together before he smashed their lips together.

Sokka shoved at Zuko only to have to the other teen grab his hands before Zuko sat up and untied his belt, using the material to tie Sokka's hands together before the other teen managed to squirm out from underneath him.

"Get off me!" But Zuko just shoved Sokka's hands over the water tribe teen's head and went back down, forcing his lips on Sokka's before the tan teen turned away.

Zuko growled at Sokka's rejection but kissed the other teen's jaw instead, his free hand opening the blue tunic beneath him, making the water tribe teen underneath him tense at the contact.

"Stop…ah!" Sokka clenched his eyes shut as he felt teeth against the sensitive skin on his neck. The prince kissed the spot again before he starting sucking on it earning several new sounds from the teen under him. His hand traveling down Sokka's side, feeling the muscle on the lean teen before pausing as he touched a scar.

Zuko sat up, putting space between the two and finished opening Sokka's tunic the rest of the way to reveal two scars, one on the teen's underbelly and another on the teen's side. Zuko released his hold on Sokka's hands and moved down so that he kissed right above the scar on Sokka's stomach.

"Zuko…please…..stop." Sokka felt like he was running a marathon, he couldn't get his breathing to calm down, he couldn't get his heart to stop hammering in his chest at the gentle caresses of the prince.

Zuko wasn't supposed to be gentle.

Zuko kissed the area around the scar before he started moving up again, placing gentle touches up Sokka's stomach and then to his chest. The prince sucked on a spot on Sokka's collar bone before he nicked it with his teeth earning a groan in response. Zuko pulled away and stripped off his shirt as he stared at the teen beneath him.

Sokka was so beautiful.

"I don't want this…." Sokka turned his bright blues to the hungry gold eyes. "Zuko, stop."

"Sokka…" Zuko rubbed his smooth cheek against Sokka's cheek before pulling away so that he could lick those lips. His hands traveled up the teen's sides then grazed over the water tribe teen's arms before traveling down again.

"No…" Sokka finally moved his hands so that he grip the back of Zuko's head, fingers pulling the prince's hair so that they could face each other. "I don't want this."

Zuko just huffed in response.

"I won't hurt you…" Zuko kissed Sokka's chin. "I won't…"

"Too late." Sokka felt Zuko tense over him and closed his eyes. "You hurt me after you saved me from Zhao and forced me to think a little higher of someone from the fire nation, you hurt me when you stole Aang from us at the north pole…"

Zuko sat up and swung his legs over the bed so that he was no longer touching Sokka, running his hands through his hair but no longer looking at the water tribe teen. "I get it."

"Do you?" Sokka sat up and didn't bother covering himself and just stared at Zuko's back. "Do you truly understand Zuko? Understand how it felt to have the person who has been chasing you and your friends down all over the world confess his feelings for you, have him demand to be the father of your child because he claimed to want to have some 'connection' to you and-"

"I get it!" Zuko jumped off the bed and took a few steps away, Sokka in return threw is legs over the bed so that he was sitting up directly behind the prince. Sokka felt stupid for the tears that were begging to be released but tried to hold them in.

"Then have that same bastard, the bastard who acted like he wanted to make you happy turn around and rip…rip your heart out by-" But the sentence was lost when a hand covered Sokka's mouth, the tears now flowing freely.

"No more." Zuko whispered as he released his hold on Sokka's mouth, letting his fingers linger on the other's lips for a second. Zuko let his hand fall down to Sokka's before it undid the knot that was keeping Sokka's hands together.

"Ahnnn…." Sokka froze as he heard the sounds of Kohaku slowly waking up. Zuko seemed to notice the noise as well as he turned to look at the destroyed dresser but Sokka quickly pushed him out of the way as the other teen ran over to the baby.

Sokka wiped his eyes quickly before he moved the shabby excuse for a curtain he had made and bent down to pick up the child that was staring at him boredly. Kohaku fit easily in one arm, Sokka then realizing that his tunic had fallen off him the rest of the way when he had ran over to get the waking child.

Zuko just stood there watching Sokka rub the baby's back and start pacing back and forth in the room avoiding the fire bender's eyes as he did so. Sokka tried to take a deep breath before his baby squirmed more in his arms as if demanding 'Put me down you fool! I want to move!'. Sokka paused as he turned to Zuko to see the prince picking up the tossed shirts.

"I will pour you both a bath, if you want to move around on this ship you have to be clean and into….more appropriate clothing." Zuko passed Sokka as he made his way to the wash room and Sokka went back to the bed to let his kid wiggle around on the soft padding.

"Did you have a nice nap Kohaku?" Sokka whispered with a smile as he lifted the kids outfit so he could blow on its stomach. Kohaku's eyes widened in indignation before his face turn red and he let out a cheery squeal.

Sokka hummed as he let the baby grab his fingers. The baby's eyes dared him to blow on his stomach one more time but before Sokka could there was a warm hand on the small of his back.

Sokka felt Zuko lean over him, the teen's bare chest against his back and Sokka tried to fight of a shiver at the sudden warmth. Sokka turned his head slightly to look at Zuko only to see the teen staring down at the baby with mild curiosity.

"He looks like you." Zuko's breath was warm against the side of his face and Sokka smiled at the prince.

Kohaku stared at Zuko as if just noticing the figure over his father and his eyes widened, revealing the roundest gold eyes Sokka had thought he had ever seen. Zuko tensed before he put his hand near the baby and Kohaku grabbed the finger that was offered and squeezed.

"He's got a pretty good grip too." Zuko looked over at Sokka, their eyes meeting with Sokka smirking at him.

"Just wait, when he's bigger he's going to be beating up you fire benders left and right." Sokka paused when the hand that was still on his back moved so it was resting on his waist, his thumb grazing the scar on Sokka's side.

"The baths ready, I'm going to see if I can find some….more fitting clothes for the two of you." Zuko slowly managed to free his finger from the child before he turned to Sokka and sighed. The prince released his hold on Sokka waist, letting his hand linger up the other teen's spine before settling his hand behind Sokka's neck, massaging the bottom of the other teen's scalp. "I promise to keep you two safe."

Sokka moved out of Zuko's grasp and then bent down to pick up his child before turning to the prince. "That's nice prince Zuko, but whose going to protect us from you?"

And with that Sokka carried his child into the wash room to see a steaming bath waiting for them. He turned to see Zuko leave the attached room, slamming the door behind him before the distinctive locking noise was heard.

Sokka place Kohaku on the floor so that he could strip out of the rest of his clothes, leaving them on the floor in an unceremonious pile before stripped the baby and slowly slid in the warm water.

Sokka lifted Kohaku in the air so that he could dunk himself without submerging the baby. He lifted his knees so that he could place the baby on top of them, making sure the water only touched up to the baby's waist before Sokka spotted a rag on the side of the tub.

"Doesn't this feel nice?" Sokka wiped the top of his kid's head and Kohaku smiled at him.

After he had finished wiping Kohaku down, Sokka drained some of the water so that he could place his son on the bottom of the tub without drowning the kid before he started to wipe himself off. Sokka found himself humming again as his child splashed in the water as he cleaned in between his toes, remembering the talk Toph had given him about proper toe hygiene.

"Kohaku, don't splash me!" Sokka laughed as his son hit the water again.

"Kohaku?" Sokka turned to see Zuko walk into the wash room with cloths folded in his arms.

"Excuse you!" Sokka covered himself before he looked at his son. "And Kohaku is my son's name; you have a problem with that?"

"It's not something I haven't seen before." Zuko rolled his eyes before placing the cloths on the ground and scooping up Sokka's disheveled pile.

"What are you doing with those?" Sokka's voice cracked as he tried to jump out of the tub to grab his belongings before the prince did who knows what with it. "Those are mine!"

"These are trash." Zuko stated before he fixed Sokka with a stare. "Those are your new cloths that you will be wearing from now on."

Sokka got out of the tub, ignoring that he was naked before he lifted his baby out of the cooling water and followed Zuko out of the washroom, caring less about the water dripping on the floor in his state. "At least let me hold on to those!"

"I will n-what are you doing?" Zuko dropped the clothes before he blushed at Sokka's nakedness. Sokka put his hand on his hip and glared before he frowned as the prince left the fallen cloths on the ground and ran back to the wash room only to return with a towel. "You need to dry off!"

Sokka tensed as Zuko wrapped the towel around him and the child, the prince's arms wrapping around him and holding the towel in place. Sokka let Zuko lead him back to the bathroom making a mental note to beat the prince out so that he could grab his cloths before the prince tossed them.

Zuko started toweling off the other teen before made it to Sokka's hair. Zuko did a quick job before gently wrapping the towel around the baby figuring Sokka would probably want to dry his son off. Zuko bent down to the clothes he had brought in before he lifted a black tunic and held it up for Sokka.

"I can dress myself!" Sokka grabbed the tunic from Zuko's hands, a blush on Sokka cheeks before the prince sighed.

"Do you want me to hold him so you can get dressed?" Zuko offered his hands and Sokka looked at the prince like he was insane.

"I do not want you touching my child. Ever." Sokka wrapped the towel securely around Kohaku only for the prince to suddenly grab Sokka by the back of the neck forcing the other teen to look at him.

"Let me hold him so you can change clothes, I will give him back." Sokka growled, realizing he wasn't going to be given the choice as he reluctantly let Zuko take the child. Zuko only took a step back before he leaned against the counter in the washroom and stared at Sokka.

Waiting.

Sokka realized that with Kohaku gone the only thing covering him was the tunic in his hand and quickly put it on, grabbing the black pants that were on the ground and slipping the on before found the red belt and wrapped it quickly around his waist. Before he bent down and picked up the small red outfit he assumed his son was supposed to wear before turning to glare at Zuko.

"Give me my son."

"Do you hate me that much?" Zuko asked with a frown as he handed the child over only to watch Sokka turn his back and make his way to the bed.

Sokka laid Kohaku down and finished drying off his son before gently as possible in the mood that he was in dressed his kid in fire nation cloths. Sokka tried to take calming breaths as he clenched the towel in his hand before turning to see Zuko right behind him. Sokka raised his hand to throw the towel at the other teen before it was caught and Zuko pulled them closer together.

"I asked you a question, do you hate me?" Zuko let one of his hands run through Sokka's damp hair.

"Yes." But before Sokka could add to that statement he was suddenly pulled into a harsh kiss, Sokka biting the prince's lips hard in retaliation.

Zuko pulled away and licked the small amount blood on his lip as he glared at Sokka.

"I'm going out to the deck, if you need anything before I get back just ask the guard outside, otherwise you are not allowed to leave this room." And with that the prince left the room once again, leaving Sokka standing there with his child behind him on the bed.

MMM

Zuko growled as he hit the metal railing before looking up at the moon that was lighting the deck at the moment. Azula and her gang had already turned in for the night, the crew inside the ship to get ready for the rest of the voyage. It would be a few days before they reached their nearest port and a few days after that before Zuko would be back home.

Home.

Its been over three years since he's seen his home. Zuko closed his eyes and let the breeze brush his hair over his face.

Zuko had an uneasy feeling about how he was going to be accepted by people once he returned, after all he wasn't bringing the avatar with him. Azula kept reassuring him that it didn't matter since she killed the avatar and that would have worked fine for Zuko, except for one thing.

Azula always lies.

The prince stared at the moon before he felt a smile form on his lips despite himself. The child did look like Sokka, tan skin and the other teen's nose but those eyes.

Those were Zuko's eyes.

The prince wanted to hug Sokka when he had seen the child's eyes, wanted to pull the other teen into a passionate kiss and then everything would be okay because Kohaku, Zuko didn't think it was a bad name, was both his and Sokka's child.

But Sokka wouldn't see it that way.

Zuko ran his hands through his hair in aggravation, clenching his teeth to keep himself from yelling at nothing. Couldn't Sokka see how much Zuko cared for him? Couldn't the water tribe teen see how much wanted to be with him, wanted to help the teen raise their child?

Was it too much to ask to be part of the kid's life?

But then again Zuko did attack his sister and friends and was part of the reason that the water tribe teen was separate from them. But if Zuko hadn't helped his sister then he could have kissed his homeland goodbye.

Zuko felt the air drop a few degrees before he turned to see a few men walk out onto the deck, giving him a small bow before they continued doing whatever they were supposed to be doing. The prince didn't bother acknowledging them before he decided to go back inside.

It had been a couple of hours since he had left Sokka, maybe the water tribe teen would be less hostile when he returned.

Zuko dismissed the guard outside of his door, taking note that Sokka hadn't asked the guard for anything before he quietly entered the room only to find it pitch black. Zuko held out his hand to create a small flame, taking note that the bed was empty before he turned to see Sokka was sleeping on the floor by the crib.

On top of Zuko's cloths.

Zuko walked over to the candles with a sigh as he lit them before extinguishing the flame in his hand. He went over to the bed and pulled back the blankets before made his way over to the sleeping form. Zuko took the small moment of peace and stepped over Sokka so that he could peak into the crib.

Kohaku was sleeping peacefully with an empty bottle at his feet. Zuko reached down and tenderly rubbed the child's back getting a small response before the child continued his journey in dream land.

Zuko smiled before he sighed and turned to the sleeping teen on the floor. Sokka appeared to be having a good dream as the teen smirked in his sleep causing Zuko to roll his eyes before he knelt down and proceeded to pick up the other teen as gingerly as possible.

Zuko wasn't prepared for Sokka to wake up hitting him though.

"Wha-PUT ME DOWN!" Sokka shoved Zuko's face only to have the grip on him tighten before he was drop unceremoniously on the bed. "Why did you do that?"

"Because I did not want you sleeping on the floor all night." Zuko stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world before he crawled over Sokka so that he was on the side near the wall. "Now go to sleep."

"Why are we sharing a bed?" Sokka's voice cracked before he hit his head against the pillow and sighed.

Zuko didn't bother responding as he pulled the blanket up and closed his eyes, ready to get some rest while he could. Zuko felt Sokka moving around for a good few minutes, the prince now wishing he hadn't tried to sleep with his back to the teen so that he could see what Sokka was trying to do.

The bed bounced a few times before Zuko growled as turned over to see Sokka staring at him. "What?"

"Thank you." Sokka glared at him when he said it, so Zuko had to blink a few times to make sure he heard right.

"What?"

"For the bath." Sokka didn't take his eyes off Zuko's.

"Oh." Zuko blinked before he smiled tiredly at Sokka. "That was more for my sake than yours."

Sokka's face reddened at that remark and the water tribe teen growled before turning over. Zuko crawled over to the other teen, wrapping his arm around Sokka's waist and pulling Sokka's back into his chest. Before the other teen had a chance to remark about the sudden closeness Zuko kissed the back of his neck lightly.

"Just let me hold you." Zuko whispered softly, "I promise I won't try anything, just let me hold you."

Zuko felt the other teen take a deep breath before relaxing himself in Zuko's arms and Zuko closed his eyes contently. The prince was already drifting off so he barely heard the other teen whisper, "If you do, I'll break your arms."

But Zuko did hear it and he couldn't stop the small hum that escaped his mouth in amusement.

MMM

"Winter..spring, summer and fall…"

Sokka buried his head into warmth that he was currently clinging to. He felt the thing he was attached to chuckle and groaned before it started to hum the song softly. Sokka sighed before he opened his eyes slowly, not liking the light that seemed to be beaming straight into his eyes.

"You can sleep a little longer…" Sokka looked up to see Zuko staring at him and suddenly became very aware of the fact that he was hugging the prince's waist.

"Oh…uh morning." Sokka pulled away from Zuko, immediately missing the warmth but he didn't make it far before he was pulled back over, this time Sokka had his back on Zuko's chest while the prince wrapped his arms around the water tribe teen.

"No need to hurry, enjoy the morning." Zuko whispered in the other one's ear and Sokka sighed as he leaned into the other boy.

Sokka stared up at the ceiling in his early morning daze, feeling Zuko's breathing behind him. He turned his attention to Kohaku's crib to see that the clothes he had been sleeping on were no longer on the floor but instead folded neatly on top of a new table that was beside the dresser.

"I cleaned it up this morning while you were sleeping, and got one of the soldiers to bring me a spare table." Zuko answered Sokka's gaze and the water tribe turned slightly so he could look at the prince.

"Can I walk around the ship?"

The question surprised Zuko and the prince frowned at the thought. If he kept Sokka locked in the room then he might as well make the water tribe teen his prisoner but if he let Sokka roam the ship, there was a good chance Sokka would try to escape. Zuko licked his lips feeling the small cut from Sokka biting his lip yesterday.

"I won't try anything." Sokka felt the prince's hesitance, "I couldn't even if I wanted to…not with Kohaku."

Sokka sighed, he just admitted that he couldn't escape to the prince. He placed his head against Zuko's chest, turning slightly so he was facing Kohaku's crib. Zuko had said he wasn't a prisoner, but every time the prince left the room the door was locked. Sokka smirked as he pressed his ear to Zuko's chest.

"Fine." Zuko didn't sound excited about the decision and when he looked down at the boy laying on him he noticed Sokka had a strange expression on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…just…" Sokka pressed his head firmer to Zuko's chest. "I just can't believe I can hear a heart beat, I thought fire benders were born without them."

Zuko just rolled his eyes as Sokka smiled up at him and the prince shoved the peasant off him. Sokka just laughed, wiping away a fake tear, before he fell back on the bed, ignoring the fact that he was now laying over one of Zuko's leg as he pulled the blanket over him.

"I'm going back to sleep."

"Ooo…" Sokka moaned as he heard the baby gurgle across the room.

"It appears Kohaku has different plans." Zuko smirked as he threw the blanket off of Sokka and then proceeded to get off the bed. The prince making his way over to the candles in the room before sitting in front of them, Sokka just huffed as he hoisted himself off the bed and made it just in time to the crib before Kohaku let out a pitiful noise.

"Are you hungry?" Sokka made cooing noises before the teen's stomach let out a loud grumble causing Zuko to look at him in surprise. "What? I didn't eat yesterday!"

"Why didn't you ask for food?" Zuko got to his feet and made his way over to the door.

Sokka remained silent, not wanting to say 'Because I didn't want anything from you' because he didn't want to effect the pleasant atmosphere they were sharing so far. The prince swung the door open and poked his head out before yelling at a guard to bring them food.

"Why don't you just go get it?" Sokka scoffed as he knelt by his bag and pulled out the small bag of powder Miss Toko had made and looked at the prince with a smirk. "I didn't realize royalty were so lazy."

Zuko just frowned at Sokka before growling and leaving the room. The door remained open and Sokka just stared at if for a second, the prince had left the door open, he could just walk out right now and….and….

And what?

Sokka growled as he rinsed out Kohaku's bottle before placing some powder in it and waiting for the water in the wash room to heat up before he filled the bottle, placing the cap on and shaking it to mix the formula. There was no way he was going to be able to escape the ship with Kohaku, even if he managed to steal a life raft they would be stuck at sea for god knows how long and Sokka knew that wouldn't be healthy for the baby.

Kohaku glared at him when he stopped shaking the bottle and stared at the open doorway. Sokka sighed before he lifted the bottle to Kohaku and the baby accepted it graciously. "You better be glad I like you…"

Kohaku gave Sokka a look that said 'Right back at you'.

Sokka smiled and made his way over to the bed. Sokka leaned into the pillows that Zuko had been leaning against before he starting humming the song that the prince had been singing. It had been odd to hear the prince's voice singing but it was also relaxing, Sokka started humming the tune when he realized he didn't know the words and just watched his son eat.

Zuko really hadn't tried anything while they were sleeping.

It had taken Sokka forever to get even consider sleeping with the prince's arms around him. The teen's heat had been hammering in his chest for the longest time before Zuko's warmth finally won out and Sokka relaxed.

He felt rested.

There was a small huff at the door and Sokka tried to hold back the smirk when he saw Zuko walk in with a tray of food, a soldier following after the prince with another tray before looking at Sokka in surprise.

The soldier didn't say anything but laid the tray at the bottom of the bed in front of Sokka, glancing at the baby in Sokka's arms with mild curiosity before bowing to Zuko and leaving as quickly as possible. Sokka looked at his baby; everyone seemed surprised when they saw the child.

Were there no babies in the fire nation?

"Whatever you are thinking, stop, you have a weird expression." Zuko sat on the floor, placing the tray to the side before he turned towards his candles once again. Zuko lit the candles with a quick wave of his hand and then closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

Sokka just smiled as he watched the prince meditate before he turned back to Kohaku who was almost done with his bottle. The baby sure did love his food.

Like father like son, Sokka supposed as he watched the little fingers try to grip the bottle.

MMM

MMM

MMM

Obviously I am veering WAY off of the series now but I hope you all still enjoy it. But I am also currently working on a webcomic that will hopefully be up this fall. I'll probably post more information about it next chapter.

Hope you are having a great summer!


	6. Want

BACK!

Here's the next chapter! I hope you guys like it!

Enjoy.

MMM

Chapter 6: WANT

MMM

Sokka poked his head out of the doorway.

Zuko had left about an hour ago to go talk with Azula, who Sokka decided to avoid, and the water tribe teen had just finished feeding Kohaku, again. Sokka made sure the baby was secure in the sling in front of him, placing his arm around Kohaku just in case, before he took his first step in the hallway.

Sokka looked to either side of the hall before he took a deep breath and started walking.

The inside of the ship near Zuko's room seemed empty, there were several doors along the hallway that were all shut and while Sokka wanted to open them and see what was inside he had to settle with just walking around today.

He found stairs two halls down and peaked inside to see once again, they were empty.

Were all the soldiers outside for some special meeting? Sokka took a step down, the metal on his bare feet was warm and he didn't mind. Zuko had left him a pair of shoes in the room but they felt weird to Sokka, and the water tribe teen didn't think Zuko would appreciate if he changed back into his blue tunic and boots so Sokka decided that bare foot was the way to go.

"Rounds should be starting soon." A deep male voice started above Sokka, the water tribe teen looked up to see figures moving down the stairs. He started moving down too, a little quicker but remained silent so they wouldn't hear him. "Have you seen the earth kingdom servant Zuko brought with him?"

Sokka paused.

Earth Kingdom? The teen slowed down again to make sure he would be able to hear what they said as they continued their decent. So everyone on the ship thought he was part of the earth kingdom and not the water tribe? They thought he was a servant?

"Yeah, this morning when I helped Zuko take food to his room, did you know the boy had a child?" The other guard's voice was lighter and not as deep, but it clearly held amusement in it as it recalled earlier that day. "Kind of young to be a father."

"Is it his son? I heard it was his little brother…" A female guards voice join in and Sokka realized how close they were and started to move a little faster down.

"I can't believe the prince's tastes swing that way." There was a hushing noise from one of the guards but the light voiced one continued anyway. "I guess being stuck at sea for so long could do that to a man though."

Sokka didn't have time to hear the rest of the conversation before they left the stairs and Sokka suddenly realized he had made it to the bottom of the stairs. It wasn't the bottom of the ship because Sokka could see another set of stairs a few yards away that would most likely lead to the boiler room. Sokka glanced around before he started walking around, might as well see since he was down here.

"What are you doing down here?"

Sokka froze before he turned to see a soldier walk up to him. The soldier was a good bit taller than the teen but Sokka stood his ground. "I'm just walking around."

The soldier stopped in front of the teen placing one hand on his hip before he lifted his mask to reveal an older looking man. Sokka didn't break eye contact, determined to not back down or show any sign of weakness to the fire bender.

"Why would you want to walk around the prison cells?" The man gave Sokka a bored glance as he shrugged.

"Prison….oh!" Sokka's eyes widened as he bit his lip, not knowing if he should just ask the guard, then again the man didn't seem like he was bothered by Sokka being there. "Is..um…Is Iroh down here?"

"You want to speak to him?" The guard glanced up the stairs as if to see if there was anyone to tell him not to let Sokka talk to the old man before he turned back to the teen with a smirk. "I'm not sure if I should….."

"I won't tell anyone!" Sokka grabbed the soldiers arm. "Please!"

"I don't want to get in trouble with the prince-"

"Just five minutes! He helped me out in Ba Sing Se and I just want to thank him. It won't take long!" The soldier still looked skeptic and Sokka tried to think of something quick, his hair fell in front of his face before suddenly the soldier's hand was pushing it behind his ear.

Sokka did not like the other man touching him like that but if he made a big deal then there was a good chance he wouldn't get to see Iroh.

"Fine, fine." The guard turned down the hall and Sokka followed him a few steps back, glad to have the distance between them.

"You have a visitor old man!" The guard yelled before he unlocked the door and swung it open to reveal Iroh sitting on the prison bed. The old man seemed annoyed at the guard before he spotted Sokka and gave the teen a quizzical look.

Sokka brushed passed the soldier and entered the cell before the guard shut the door softly. "I'll be back in five minutes."

Sokka waited until he heard the guards footsteps start to fade off before he walked over to Iroh. "Are you okay?"

"You had the baby!" Iroh looked astonished at the child in Sokka's arms. The older man reached out slightly then pulled his hands back making Sokka smile before he lifted Kohaku out of the sling and gently placed the child into Iroh's arms. Sokka didn't know why but he felt like Iroh would want to hold the child, but never ask for the permission to.

"Yeah, I had him right after…well you know." Sokka finished lamely before he sat on the floor stretching his arms and back on the way.

"But what are you doing here?" Iroh looked worried as he stared at Sokka.

"Zuko." Was all Sokka felt like he needed to say before the old man frowned and shook his head.

"My nephew…" But Iroh didn't finish the sentence because Kohaku chose at that moment to wake up. "Hey there…."

"Kohaku." Sokka smiled.

"What a beautiful name." Iroh stated softly as the baby opened its eyes and the older man froze.

Sokka smiled sadly when Iroh looked at him. "He has his father's eyes." Sokka whispered softly and Iroh smiled in understanding.

"You are a very brave young man." Iroh gently handed Kohaku back to the other teen. "I'm glad you came to visit me."

"I didn't know for sure if you were on this ship but I knew if you were…..you would want to meet Kohaku." Sokka gently placed the child back in the sling and Kohaku puckered his face at the teen letting Sokka know he did not enjoy waking up in a stranger's arms.

"Time's up kid!" The guard hit the door a few times and Sokka gave Iroh a small bow.

"I'll try to come back again!" Sokka whispered before he went out the door and the cell was closed once again, leaving Iroh alone.

"Now don't go telling anyone I let you in there." The guard escorted Sokka back to the stairs and Sokka smiled at him.

"I won't, and I really am grateful."

"I just can't say no to a cute kid like you." The guard smiled and Sokka tried not to think about that statement as he made his way back up the stairs.

He should get back to the room in case Zuko was there and wondering where he had disappeared to.

MMM

"So did you have fun exploring?" Zuko's tone did not go past Sokka.

"Don't treat me like a kid!" Sokka snapped as he glared at the smirking prince. Zuko was sitting on the bed with a scroll in hand that he was reading, at least reading until he decided to tease Sokka while the water tribe tried to get Kohaku to sleep.

"I was just asking if you had fun…" Zuko smirked before he sighed and rolled up the scroll.

The prince had been gone the whole day and while Sokka had no idea what the prince could be doing on the ship that would take all day he decided he didn't need to know. Sokka had ventured out again around lunch time only to run into a group of guards who escorted him to the kitchen so the teen could get food. The guards were quiet, not saying any more than they had to but Sokka didn't mind.

Zuko had shown up looking aggravated with food for dinner and so Sokka had left Zuko alone and played with Kohaku on the bed until a guard had come taken the dirty dishes and Kohaku yawned informing Sokka that it was time to put his son down for bed.

"There's not much to do on the ship." Sokka mentioned off handedly before he sighed and made his way back to the bed.

Zuko scooted over just in time for Sokka to flop on the blankets. Sokka stretched out not bothering to care if he hit the prince in the process before he yawned and turned over.

"I could think of some things to do…" Zuko's voice murmured behind Sokka and the teen felt the prince's hand press against his waist and then slide up slowly.

"That better be you offering to massage my back." Sokka said warningly before he felt lips on the back of his neck.

"I don't do massages." Zuko warned under his breath letting his hand travel under Sokka's tunic feeling the other teen jolt at the sudden contact. "But I'm sure I can find another way to….relax you."

Sokka turned over at that only to be pushed on his back so that Zuko could crawl over him. He glared at the prince on top of him as Zuko just smirked down at him.

"I'm not your whore." Sokka stated as Zuko started undoing his tunic.

"I never said you were." Zuko hummed matter of factly before he sighed and pressed a soft kiss on Sokka's forehead. "What if I keep it above the belt?"

Sokka almost wanted to ask what the point was if he kept it above the belt but then there was a knock at the door. Zuko growled and Sokka smirked at the prince as Zuko jumped off the bed and made his way to the door before swinging it open. "WHAT?"

"Princess Azula wants to see you." The guard stated with his head bowed but Sokka recognized the voice of the guard who let him visit Iroh. The guard glanced up to see Zuko's response but his eyes wavered at the site of Sokka on the bed with his tunic practically undone.

Sokka's eyes widened as he realized what it probably looked like and fixed his tunic before sitting up and walking over to the washroom so that he would be out of the guard's gaze.

"You will let her know." Zuko stated threateningly, the prince had noticed where the guard's eyes traveled. "I will be there in a moment."

Zuko didn't bother for a response from the guard before he slammed the door shut. The metal door making the whole room shake causing Sokka to run out of the washroom hissing at Zuko. "Quiet! What if you wake Kohaku?"

Zuko didn't respond to that and instead quickly pushed Sokka against the wall before he bit the other teen's neck.

"Ah!" Sokka tried to pull Zuko off of him by the hair, the prince releasing his hold on the other teen's neck before licking the small wound and then kissing it. "That hurt!"

"Well it wouldn't have hurt if you would take this necklace off, then I could actually bite your neck." Zuko kissed the wound one more time before pulling away so that he could look at the furious looking Sokka.

"Don't just attack my neck you frustrated pervert!" Sokka hit Zuko hard on the head causing the prince to back away. "What they hell was that for?"

Zuko just smirk as if he knew something Sokka didn't and made his way to the door before leaving a blushing and fuming Sokka.

Sokka rubbed his neck and cursed Zuko before he crawled onto the bed and plopped down on a pillow before he heard his stomach growl at him. Sokka moaned as he realized he could really use a snack before he hopped back onto his feet. Making his way over to the crib Sokka peaked in to see that Kohaku was still sleeping happily and peaked over at the door.

He could make it to the kitchens, grab a snack, and make it back to the room in five minutes if he ran. Maybe quicker if he jumped down the stairs…..Sokka took a deep breath as he made his way into the hallway and shut the door behind him before he took off.

He had scared some guards when he rounded the corner but yelled an apology before he jumped down a few flights of stairs before rounding a corner again only to bump into something. Sokka hit the ground before he had time to register what it was he had hit but when he opened his eyes he saw a very startled guard.

The same guard who had let him visit Iroh.

"What's the rush?" He smiled down at Sokka and held out his hand to help the teen up.

Sokka hesitated before he grabbed the man's hand so that he could be pulled up to his feet. "Uh…thanks…"

The man just smiled at Sokka before he smirked. Sokka gave him a sheepish grin before started to walk around the man only to feel a hand grab his arm. "Hey, don't go just yet."

"I really should be getting to the kitchens…" Sokka tried to pull his arm out but the grip tightened as the man suddenly pulled Sokka into the nearest room; which turned out to be a supply closet. "Will you let go of me!"

"If I let go then you'll just runaway." The man shut the door to the closet before walking up to Sokka, the teen stepping back until his back hit a stack of boxes.

"I need to leave." Sokka tried again but he just pressed his body against the teen's making Sokka very aware of the erection the man was sporting.

"I thought you were straight so I wasn't going to pursue anything, ya have a kid an' all but…" The man took a deep breath of Sokka's hair. "Then I saw you on the prince's bed and realized what kind of 'servant' you must be…"

"I'm no-" Chapped lips mashed into Sokka's, the man's beard irritating Sokka's skin before the teen quickly shoved the soldier off him. Sokka punched the guard in the face, glad he had taken off his face protector, and started to run.

He grabbed the door handle before his head was grabbed and shoved into the metal door making Sokka's knees buckled before the man's body was right behind his. Sokka tried to kick him but his legs wouldn't reach the guard. He growled as he tried to elbow the man only to feel hands lift his tunic and nails dig into his hips.

"Ah!" Sokka tried to throw the man's weight off by pushing back into him and all he was met with was a husky groan from the older man as he felt an erection press into his back.

"Don't worry, you get that soon enough." The man promised as he kissed the part of Sokka's neck where Zuko had bit him. "The prince left a pretty big mark on you."

Sokka felt like he was going to vomit. He screamed at his muscles to fight the man but they seemed to be frozen, he grit his teeth as he felt the hands move along his sides. One of the hands made it to the side of Sokka's face and a finger traced the teen's lips as the man breathed heavily against his skin.

"AAAHHHh!" Sokka bit down hard on the finger, tasting the copper of blood in his mouth as his teeth clenched harder.

He was going to rip this man's finger off!

"What's going on in h-" Sokka fell forward as the door swung open, releasing the man's hand as he quickly scrambled as far as he could get only to look up and see Zuko with two very stunned guards looking at the scene.

The man on the floor paled at the sight of the prince as he nursed his bleeding and most likely broken finger. Zuko stood thin lipped as the prince took in the scene, the air in the area raising several degrees before his hands sparked and suddenly there were fire daggers.

"You son of a-" Zuko took a step towards the guard that had violated Sokka before suddenly the prince took a deep breath and extinguished them. "Throw him in a cell, strip him of his armor and no one is allowed to near him until I deal with him in the morning."

The guards didn't bother waiting for the man on the floor to react before they were dragging the very pale guard away from the prince, both probably surprised that the man was still alive.

Sokka certainly was.

"You." Sokka jumped as two hands forced him to his feet before he was suddenly being dragged back up stairs. Sokka opened his mouth to say something but found it hard to speak with the man's blood still in his mouth, he spit what he could on the floor until he was pulled into the hall and then shoved into their bedroom.

Sokka didn't have a chance to react before he was suddenly pulled into the washroom, the prince throwing him into the empty tub before he turned on the faucet filling the tub with hot water even thought Sokka was still fully clothed. Zuko kicked off his shoes before he jumped in the tub too.

"Zuko what are y-"

"Where did he touch you?" Zuko opened Sokka's tunic roughly, Sokka just gasped as he sank into the water and the prince pressed down on his chest. "Tell me where?"

Sokka didn't have time to answer because Zuko's lips crashed into his, the prince scraping his teeth against the water tribe teen's lips before forced them open and deepened the kiss. Sokka gripped onto Zuko's tunic, trying to hang onto the prince as he slipped further down into the growing water.

Zuko pulled away only to pulled the rest of Sokka's tunic off the teen and let it drown in the water before he pulled his own soaking tunic off and threw onto the floor. The prince kissed Sokka's forehead then between the blue eyes that were looking at him with worry. He brushed over the lips before he let his hands feel down the teen's chest. Zuko growled when he moved to the hips to see finger print bruises on Sokka's sides.

"That bastard…" Zuko hissed before he pulled Sokka up, hooking his fingers in the teen's pants.

"Wait Zuko..." Sokka panted as he tried to find something to grab onto but slipping against the wet chest of the prince forcing their bodies together. "He didn't get that far."

Zuko ran his hands through Sokka's hair before he gripped the back of Sokka's head so that he could kiss the teen's neck while the other hand started pulling down Sokka's pants. Sokka whimpered as Zuko's teeth scraped the bruised mark that the teen had made earlier that day, Zuko nipping his way up until he was stopped by Sokka's necklace.

The hand in Sokka's hair slid down until one of the fingers managed it's way between Sokka's neck and the necklace causing the younger of the two to gasp.

"Wait, Zuko….wait." Sokka choked as the finger touched the sensitive skin under the necklace, he tried to grab Zuko's hand but only managed to slide against the other teen. "Zuko…ah!"

"I won't break it." Zuko whispered before sliding the necklace up a bit so that he could suck on the skin.

"Ah!" Sokka slipped down sending both of them under the water causing it to spill out of the tub. Sokka gasped as he came back up before he pulled himself out of the tub only to end up on the wet floor gasping for air.

Zuko choked as he popped out from the water before he quickly ran over and stopped the water. He pulled the drain before took a deep breath. He glanced at the panting teen on the floor before he jumped out of the tub and lifted Sokka from the ground. Before Sokka could catch his breath he was being pushed towards the bed, the prince slipping the soaking pants off of the water tribe teen before practically threw Sokka on the bed.

"I told you he didn't get this far Zuko!" Sokka tried to reason with the prince before suddenly the prince was on top of him.

"I don't care!" Zuko shoved Sokka into the mattress before he turned the water tribe teen over to that he was kissing the teen's back. Zuko nipped his way down Sokka's back, his hands skimming over Sokka's scar before he bit down on the teen's flesh.

Sokka closed his eyes tightly as he felt Zuko's hands roam his body. He tried to calm down as the other teen nipped his skin, tried to fight the feeling of dread as he buried his head into the pillow.

Not like this.

Not when he couldn't see who was doing this to him.

Zuko froze when he felt the body underneath him tremble. He stilled his hands and sat up taking calming breaths. He bent over so that he could see Sokka's face to find the other teen crying. "S…Sokka?"

"Not like this…" Sokka opened his eyes to look at the prince pleadingly before he felt himself being flipped over so that he was on his back.

"Sokka?" Zuko grabbed the teen's face, wiping the tears away. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, I'm sorry."

Sokka grabbed the prince's face pulling Zuko into a harsh kiss. Zuko hummed into it before he pulled back to look at the teen. Sokka shook as he pulled the prince back down again so he could kiss the prince's scar. He kissed Zuko's nose then his cheeks before he kissed the prince's chin and then the prince's lips.

It was okay because this was Zuko.

Zuko and not some pervert trying to take Sokka from behind.

It was Zuko.

"I never want it like that." Sokka threatened as he laid back in the mattress. "Never do that to me again."

"I'm sorry." Zuko kissed Sokka's chest before lying on top of the water tribe teen, stroking Sokka's sides. "I…I don't ever want to see someone else touching you. I don't care if that means I have to lock you up in here…"

Zuko's breath sent shivers down Sokka's skin, the other teen realizing just how naked he was as Zuko's hand ran down his thigh. Sokka sat up slighting so that he could grab Zuko's wet pants and hooked his fingers around the fabric and ghosted his lips over Zuko's. "Before you lock me in here….you might want to try and convince me to stay."

Zuko's eyes widened as his pants were suddenly pulled down. The prince just shoved Sokka back down before he finished kicking off his pants and then grabbed Sokka's legs and kissing one of the teen's thighs.

"I think I could convince you to never leave this bed." Zuko growled before he pressed his mouth over Sokka's. The other teen groaned as he tightened his hold on the prince before the prince pulled back. Sokka suddenly felt cold as the prince hopped off of him and the water tribe teen glared at the prince as Zuko ran to the washroom, sliding on the floor along the way, and then made rattling noises.

"What are you doing at a time like this?" Sokka sighed before he flopped down on the mattress.

Zuko returned quickly, climbing back over Sokka with a small smirk on his face. Before Sokka could ask what he felt was so important that he had to leave he noticed a small bottle in Zuko's mouth. "What's that?"

Zuko didn't say anything after he spit the bottle on the mattress and instead brought Sokka into another kiss as his hand trailed down Sokka's stomach. Sokka gasped as Zuko's hand tightened around his half hard cock. Zuko hummed as he licked the teen's neck before sucking on the necklace. Sokka pulled on the prince's hair forcing the prince's lips to meet his with a groan.

Zuko pulled back, his body heating on its own before he put some space between him and Sokka. He found the bottle again and quickly opened it with Sokka watching him with interest. Zuko poured some of the liquid on his hands before he separated Sokka's legs a little further. Sokka opened his mouth to protest before Zuko's hand strokes the teen's entrance, sliding the liquid between Sokka's cheeks.

"Wh…what is that?" Sokka jolted as the liquid heated in Zuko's hands and the prince kissed his scar that was on his lower stomach.

"Oil." Zuko smirked at Sokka. "You need to relax."

"Easy for you…" Sokka cringed as Zuko slid a finger in before taking a deep breath and falling back on the pillows. He tried the breathing exercises he remember Aang teaching him as he closed his eyes and just focused on the sensation of Zuko's fingers as another finger entered him.

It was strange.

Sokka didn't consider himself an expert on the sexual experience, considering his experiences consisted of rape and one incident that got him pregnant but he had made one conclusion of the whole ordeal.

Sex was painful.

Sokka gasped as Zuko's fingers skimmed something inside him and he tried to yell at Zuko to hit that spot again but then the prince added a third finger and suddenly he felt a burning sensation. Sokka bit his lip as he tried to relax.

"Are you okay?" Zuko pulled his fingers out so that he could crawl over the teen and kiss him gently. They both groaned as their erections pressed rubbed against each other. Sokka pulled the prince down into a rough kiss, biting his lip as he glared at Zuko above him.

"Finish the job before I kill you." Sokka growled as Zuko kissed him with a small laugh before the prince pulled away again and found the bottle of liquid. He quickly lathered his erection before he positioned himself on the water tribe teen.

"Tell me if you need me to stop." Zuko groaned as he started slowly pushing himself into the body under him.

"Stop and I'll hurt you." Sokka threatened causing Zuko to thrust into him. "AH!"

Zuko and Sokka both groaned. Sokka tried to catch his breath as the prince slowly rocked his hips, not really moving in or out but just rocking them. Sokka choked as he clenched his teeth, trying to relax before Zuko started moving again.

Zuko growled. He was so hot, so very hot. Zuko leaned down so that he could kiss Sokka before he started moving. Sokka moaning at the action encouraging Zuko to continue, Sokka grabbing Zuko's back, his nails digging into the prince's skin making Zuko groaned as he thrust harder into the water tribe teen.

"Dothatagain." Sokka whispered quickly as he saw stars form in front of his eyes. He tried to get the prince's attention by lifting his hips by wrapping his legs around Zuko's waist and it caused the same sensation again. "Oh my god!"

"Sokka.." Zuko grabbed Sokka's hips steadying the teen beneath him. "Sokka…I…"

Sokka tightened his legs around Zuko's hips and forced the older teen to bend over him as he grabbed the back of the teen's neck and pressed their foreheads together. "I know."

Zuko kissed Sokka deeply, the other teen wrapping his arms around the prince before his body tensed. Sokka gasped before his body fell back panting, Zuko on top of him kissing him gently.

Sokka was only slightly aware of the prince moving around him as his eyes closed, ignoring the slight pain as the prince pulled out of him and enjoying how warm he felt in Zuko's arms.

Zuko smirked as he eyed the marks he had made on the teen's body knowing that when Sokka saw them, the teen would probably hurt him in some way. The prince pulled the sleeping form closer to him and pulled the covers over them, not bothering with the small bottle that clattered to the floor.

Tomorrow was going to be interesting.

MMM

"Shhhh…"

Sokka slowly opened his eyes, his body was so heavy.

He stared at the empty space beside him on bed and groaned. The view of outside through their small window told the teen that the sun hadn't even risen yet. He was about to close his eyes and try to catch a few more minutes of sleep before he heard someone walking around on the other side of the room making shushing noises.

Sokka furrowed his eyebrows in confusion before he groaned and turned over. Rubbing his eyes a bit as he tried to see what going on Sokka found the sight of Zuko, now clothed in pants, feeding his son with a bottle in his hands.

"Did I wake you?" Zuko made his way over to the teen now sitting up on the bed.

Sokka tried to keep his heart from pounding out of his chest. For a second, for a very brief second, Sokka had almost forgotten the situation he was in. He groaned a bit as his back protested at the movement, he wasn't going to be able to hold his baby like this.

He didn't want Zuko to hold his son.

Didn't want to see how nice the prince looked with Kohaku in his arms. Didn't want to feel like the prince was going to take his son away, but he did.

But Sokka also knew that Zuko wasn't going to hurt his son and with his back aching like this he wouldn't be able to hold his son comfortably.

"Hold him for me." Sokka watched a surprised look pass Zuko's face. "You look like you have it under control."

"I just…" Sokka swore if there was more light in the room he would have been able to see the blush on Zuko's face. "…watch you do this with him."

Sokka just nodded before he flinched as he tried to stretch a bit. Zuko sat at Sokka's feet as he tried to find some way to sooth the boy.

"Did I hurt you?"

Sokka gave Zuko a look before he grabbed the pillows and moved them around so that he could sit up easier. Zuko kept glancing at him but would turn his attention back to Kohaku who was currently busy drinking the rest of the bottle. Kohaku gurgled happily and Sokka smiled sadly.

"Regret it?" Zuko turned to Sokka expectantly and the water tribe teen just met his gaze.

"I….. don't know yet." There was a small noise and both boys turned their attention to Kohaku who was done with the bottle and now looking at Zuko as if to say 'your job is done'.

The prince stood up and proceeded to burp the boy before putting Kohaku back in his crib and cleaning the bottle in the washroom. Sokka sat there in the silence as Zuko cleaned off a few more things before he came back to the bed. Zuko crawled over Sokka, the other boy remaining still until the prince caressed the side of his face.

Sokka flinched when the hand slid down to his necklace. The fingers getting between the necklace and the sensitive skin of the neck, Sokka tensed.

"What does the necklace stand for…in your tribe?" Zuko smiled at the small bruises under the necklace and then released his hold on it.

"It means I'm a warrior…we get it once we're old enough to train by our fathers…" Sokka whispered, trying not to shiver as Zuko's hand ghosted over his stomach. "Good morning by the way."

If Zuko could give a genuine smile, Sokka realized it would be the face he was making right then and it looked weird on the prince. It made Sokka want to kiss him, made the teen want to bite him and then kiss him again but he settled for wrapping his fingers around Zuko's.

"I should be going…" Zuko took his hand out of Sokka's and stood up, making his way to his cloths, grabbing a tunic before turning to Sokka.

"It's not even light outside." Sokka pointed to the window before he rolled over and pulled the blanket over him. He should just be grateful that he wasn't the one with something to do so early in the morning.

A hand slid on Sokka's arm and he turned slight to see Zuko looking at him seriously. "You're not allowed to leave the room anymore."

"But-" Zuko grabbed Sokka's chin, his thumb grazing Sokka's bottom lip.

"No. I will be back shortly, get some more sleep." And with that Zuko made his way to the door.

"What are you doing this early anyway?" Sokka asked as he watched the other teen open the door.

"I still have a new prisoner who needs to be punished." And Sokka decided at that second that he did not want to know what Zuko was going to do. He did not need to know what Zuko would deem a fair punishment for a soldier trying to force himself on the prince's…

Well on Sokka.

Sokka sighed as he heard the door close and just buried himself deeper in the pillows wondering what was going to happen when they actually made it to the fire nation. He wondered if Aang was okay, if his sister had gotten his plans to their father.

Sokka fingered the necklace around his neck before he sighed.

He should probably clean up and get dressed….the teen did not want to think about what he was probably sleeping in by then. The water in the bath was hot, and Sokka let himself sink into it with a hiss.

He had a lot more bruises than he remembered walking on the ship with. The teen sunk further down so that he could blow bubbles in the water and wondered.

He had been on the ship for four days already.

Sokka sat back up out of the water and sighed. Yesterday had been terrifying, that guard had tried to rape him and then Zuko…..Sokka felt his face heat up, he couldn't believe they had gone that far but then again, Sokka could believe it.

It was more than obvious how Zuko felt about the water tribe teen, the prince was possessive, and irrational and…and very passionate. But it wasn't what Sokka wanted.

There was no way Sokka wanted to be loved by someone like Zuko.

Zuko had betrayed him.

Had helped Azula kill Aang, though Sokka couldn't help but feel that his friend was alive, had to be alive but Zuko had still helped Azula.

And then Zuko had forced him out of Ba Sing Se, threatening the women that had helped Sokka not die, the women that brought Kohaku to the world while Sokka had been unconscious. Zuko had his uncle locked in a prison under the boat.

Iroh.

Sokka suddenly had an urge to see the old man. Toph had said that Zuko's uncle had been good at giving advice and maybe he could help Sokka.

Let the water tribe teen know what to expect when they got to the fire nation.

Sokka quickly dried himself and ended up having to borrow Zuko's cloths since the prince hadn't brought him anything to change into. A quick glance at the window informed the teen that while the sun was out now it was still very early in the morning. Zuko's cloths were loose on Sokka making the teen realize how much leaner he was compared to the prince before he found his sling to put Kohaku in.

Sokka froze for a second as he remembered the prince telling him he wasn't allowed to leave. The prince had been gone for a while now at least and he still hadn't showed up. Surely it would be okay as long as he wasn't gone long. He would probably make it back before Zuko anyway…

Sokka smiled apologetically as Kohaku glared at him when he woke his son so he could put him in the sling. Kohaku just grabbed onto Sokka's borrowed tunic and proceeded to go back to sleep while Sokka pulled the door open a bit so that he could poke his head out.

No one.

Sokka left the door cracked open before he slowly made his way down to the prison cells. He ran into a few guards this time but they would either ignore his presence or avoid him completely giving Sokka the impression that whatever Zuko's punishment had been for that one man…..it had been bad.

He deserved it though. Sokka huffed before he finally made it to where Iroh should be only to find no guards. He glanced around in confusion expecting to find someone there but just shrugged as he made his way to the old man's cell.

"Mister Iroh?" Sokka whispered as he opened the sliding hatch that let guards look in on the cells.

"Sokka?" The water tribe teen saw the old man looking up at him in a bit of surprise. "You should not be down here."

"But-" Sokka started only to have Iroh cut him off.

"You don't need to check on an old man like me, in my life I have been through far worse things than being a prisoner on a ship." Iroh gave Sokka a small smile making the other boy frown.

Sokka had wanted to come and ask him things!

"Now go before the guard comes back, and take care of Kohaku, a son is a very special gift Sokka." Sokka gave Iroh a small bow knowing that the older man couldn't see it before he shut the hatch and sighed.

He knew his son was a gift! Sokka looked down at Kohaku to see the boy now holding onto his tunic with both hands. The kid was just too cute. Sokka almost turned to go ask Iroh the questions he had wanted to ask but suddenly heard the noise of footsteps coming down the stairs informing him that the guard was coming now.

Sokka hid behind the stairs and waited for the guard to disappear out of sight before he quietly ran up. He had almost made it to his floor when he heard the distinctive voice of Azula and Zuko heading down towards him forcing him onto the floor he was at.

The halls seemed empty so he made his way away from the stairs incase the siblings decided to stop on this floor and found a room with a door that was slightly ajar. Sokka took a quick glance around before he hopped into the poorly lit room. Watching the door he took a few steps back before he finally turned to look where he had gone to only find the one thing he wasn't expecting.

He was in the communication room!

It had a map with writings all over it informing him of where there ship was, where other ships were and even small notes on the weather. Sokka turned to the wall that was to the right of the giant map to see tons of scrolls; most likely from the messenger hawks the fire nation seemed to have everywhere that were probably mean to be given to war generals once they reached the fire nation capitol.

Sokka had to take a deep breath to try and not steal all the scrolls in front of him, he was sure Zuko would be pissed to find that the water tribe teen had not only found information he was sure he wasn't supposed to see but had also chosen to steal it and hide it in the prince's room. Sokka quickly ran his hands over some of the scrolls, there had to be something useful written in them, he just knew it.

There was a loud clanging noise in the hall that cause Sokka to jump before he quickly grabbed a scroll and gently placed it between him and Kohaku in the sling knowing that the baby would probably be mad at him for it. Sokka made his way over to the door and poked his head around to see that no one was there before he made his way back to the stairs.

"So he did bring the water tribe boy aboard." A very drone voice sighed as Sokka froze on the stairs only to see Mai and Ty Lee looking down at him in surprise.

"I heard it was a servant from the earth kingdom but this is much better!" Ty Lee smiled before she flipped over the railing so that she was in front of Sokka. "You are so cuu….what's that?"

Sokka had to hold back the urge to hit the girl's finger away from his son as he just ground his teeth together. "It's my son."

"OH! You had a kid?" Ty Lee frowned before she shrugged with a smile. "Well there are cuter guys out there!"

And with that she proceeded to cart wheel into the hall Sokka had just left leaving a very confused water tribe teen and a bored looking goth girl. Sokka turned his attention to Mai only to freeze as one of her nails traced a bruise on his neck as she glared at him.

"So this is what Zuko wanted hmmm…." She eyed him critically and Sokka couldn't help but tremble a bit as he felt her nail push harder against his skin. There was no way he could defend himself with Kohaku still in his arms.

"I can't believe Zuko chose you over…." She paused before sighing and releasing the hold she had on Sokka. "When we get to shore tomorrow I'm going to get off this ship before I kill myself."

Sokka felt her leave more than watched because his back was still pressed against the wall he had been leaning on for support after seeing them. That meeting was not a good thing, by what Ty Lee had said it sounded like they didn't know he was the one on the ship and now they knew.

Sokka quickly made his way up the stairs and thanked the spirits that he hadn't run into anyone yet as he made his way to his room. Oh he hoped Zuko wouldn't find out about him sneaking out of the room. He quickly slid through the door and slid it shut with a smile of relief on his face.

Relief until he saw the prince sitting in front of the candles trying to meditate with trays of food next to him that was most likely supposed to be his and Sokka's breakfast. The candles flickered when the door finally clicked shut but Zuko remained silent.

Sokka knew two things at that moment.

First being that he didn't know if he was allowed to talk right now since he had obviously disobeyed the prince but he didn't know how long his mouth would remain shut.

Second being that he needed to put Kohaku back in the crib because if he and Zuko were about to argue then that meant they would most likely get physical and Sokka couldn't trust Zuko's temper with Kohaku in his arms.

Thirdly, because Sokka suddenly remembered a third, was that he had stolen some random scroll from that communication room and if the prince found out he would most likely be in more trouble then he could even think of.

Sokka took a small step forward to see if he would actually be able to move in the heavy atmosphere and found that his urge to put his son safely in the crib overcame his urge to protect himself. Sokka didn't bother taking off the sling until he was by the crib and carefully placed it inside the crib to cover the scroll at Kohaku's feet. Even if Zuko looked into the crib right now all he would see would be the baby and a blanket and a sling, nothing off about that.

Sokka felt more than heard Zuko take a deep breath, the flames on the candles had enlarged tremendously before going back to their small little flames that they would be normally. Sokka didn't feel like being the first one to talk and had to bite on his lips every time his mouth tried to ruin that. He started to move so that he could sit on the bed but Zuko's hand grabbed his wrist stilling his movement.

"Sit." Sokka's body was obeying the order before his brain had even caught up to the fact that Zuko had finally spoken. He sat so that he was beside Zuko before the prince let go of his wrist and resumed his meditation.

Sokka opened his mouth to speak and the flames got slightly bigger as if demanding he stay silent. Sokka sighed before he closed his mouth and just stared at the flames.

It was sad really.

How beautiful fire was and how calming it could be to stare at the tiny flame of a candle but Sokka knew the truth.

Fire was destruction.

"I told you not to leave." Zuko voice was flat and to the point, the prince was obviously trying to get a hold of his anger.

"I know." Sokka whispered, feeling like Zuko wanted a response even if it was a lame one but he just took a deep breath and waited for the prince to continue.

There was a slight chill in the room and Sokka glanced at the window to see that the prince had most likely opened it. He also noticed that he bed had new sheets; all this was probably done right after he had left since Sokka didn't think he had been gone that long. Sokka looked down at the food that was sitting on the floor next to the bed, he was hungry…..

"I love you."

Sokka didn't have time to react to the sudden confession because he was on the ground so quickly his head hit the floor hard. He hissed before his eyes widened as the fire behind Zuko roared and the prince grabbed his face harshly with one hand around his chin. Zuko was on top of Sokka's stomach and his other hand was gripping the teen's borrowed tunic tightly.

"Why did you disobey me?" Sokka couldn't answer because of the hand on his chin so instead he settled for trying to push the older teen off of him. Zuko's hands loosened on his chin and let his hand slide to Sokka's neck.

"Zuko I-" Sokka swallowed and found that the hand on his neck wasn't actually pressing against him, it just laid there and waited for Sokka to explain himself. Sokka closed his eyes before he looked into the prince's golden eyes and sighed, the truth was okay to tell sometimes. "I went to see Iroh."

Zuko seemed to be trying to decide if he was mad at that or just surprised before he growled the candles behind him flaring up so high that they extinguished themselves making the room smell like smoke. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO LEAVE!"

Anger was the easy way out, Sokka knew it, he could try to remain calm and try to talk to Zuko, actually talk to the prince but that's not how their relationship worked. They weren't good at talking, at least not at talking without insulting each other.

"I'M NOT YOUR PET TO CAGE ZUKO!" Sokka yelled back only to have the hand around his throat tighten as if to say 'wrong answer' but he continued to glare at the prince as he grabbed the hands holding him.

Zuko smirked and it made Sokka's stomach drop because he suddenly felt like the temperature in the room had lowered, and Sokka knew one thing. He should run, his instinct was yelling at him to run as fast as he could away from the prince.

"That's where you're wrong Sokka." Zuko almost purred those words as he released Sokka and got off the ground before pulling Sokka up and shoving the other teen towards the bed. "Get on the bed."

"No!" Sokka turned to shout at the prince before he was shoved again causing him to trip over the trays of food and falling part way on the bed. Sokka felt Zuko grab his hips and immediately was hoisted the rest of the way on the bed.

"I wanted to treat you like an equal." Zuko murmured in Sokka's ear causing the other teen to shiver before the prince crawled on the bed too so that he was once again sitting on Sokka's stomach. "I really did want to, but obviously you don't want that."

"Zu-"

"I don't want to hear what you have to say!" Zuko growled before he slid his hand down Sokka's face then neck then to the middle of the teen's chest. "You don't follow my orders, and what freedom I do give you, you take advantage of."

Sokka shivered as he felt Zuko's fingers tease his skin.

"And then you leave yourself unguarded and open for others…." Sokka had something to say about that but only managed to groan when Zuko smashed their lips together in a bruising kiss; their teeth hitting together painfully before Zuko scraped his teeth against Sokka's lips and pulled away. "I have no option but to cage you Sokka."

"I just wanted to see if Iroh was okay!" Sokka yelled and suddenly there was a loud slapping noise as he was back handed. The water tribe teen turned his head to stair at the ceiling fighting off the tears he knew were forming from the shock and the stinging.

"I don't want to hear anything from you!" Zuko pulled his own belt off and used it to tie Sokka's hands while other teen was gaping at him and then he shoved Sokka's hands against the wall. "Don't move your hands."

Sokka just stared wide eyed at Zuko as the prince let go of his hands, they slid down the wall a bit so they were more comfortable for Sokka but they stayed above his head. Zuko's gaze met Sokka's and the prince's hands started to undo Sokka's belt while they kept eye contact.

"Sokka…" Zuko groaned as he exposed the teen's chest. "I want you…all of you. I want to possess you, I want to control you….."

Sokka tried to glare at the prince but it was hard as he tried to blink away the tears. Zuko was scaring him.

"Zuko…." Both Sokka and Zuko froze as Azula slammed open the door. The princess had the decency to look surprised at the scene in front of her before smirk graced her lips. "So it is the water tribe peasant….."

"What do you want Azula?" Zuko's snipped but made no move to get off of Sokka the other teen however remained silent, unsure if he was allowed to move yet.

"I just heard from Mai and Ty Lee…." Azula walked up next to them so that she could get a good look at Sokka. "And you told me it was just an earth kingdom servant, not the friend of the late avatar."

"I didn't want you thinking too much about this." Zuko turned his attention to Sokka, a frown on his features as the blue eyes were still trying to stop the tears.

"Very well." Azula sniffed boredly as she made her way to the door. "You can keep your little prize for helping me kill the avatar, I don't care, I was just curious. Anyway I need to talk to you, let's go."

"Can't you see I'm a little busy at the moment?" Zuko growled.

"Zuko, you can play with your toy later." Azula snapped. "I will be on the deck, we have some stuff to discuss before we make shore tomorrow."

The door shut and Zuko turned his attention back to Sokka only to find the water tribe teen no longer looking at him. Zuko lifted his hand to gently wipe the tears off of Sokka's cheeks. Sokka was trembling slightly and Zuko suddenly felt very cold.

"Sokka…Sokka I…" Zuko leaned forward so that he could kiss Sokka's forehead.

"Just go." Sokka opened his eyes and stared blankly at the prince. "I don't…..please leave…."

Zuko tensed but grabbed Sokka's hands so that he could untie the water tribe teen's wrist before he tied his belt back around his waist and left the room. Sokka just laid there with his eyes open staring at the ceiling.

He finally knew what he needed to do.

Tomorrow, when they made shore, Sokka was going to escape with Kohaku.

MMM

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Until next time!


	7. Quick

Howdy Howdy~

Okay guys I feel like I should actually write something up here. I know the updates have been a little consistent recently but this will probably be the last update for a while since I am basically uprooting myself from two secure jobs to try and make it to Austin, Texas with little to no money and quite frankly don't know how I'm going to do it but I will make it work somehow...

I REALLY REALLY REALLY appreciate all the reviews. It's good to know how much everyone is enjoying to story and it makes me want to continue writing it until the end.

YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!

On that note I feel like a should explain some things...I always thought Zuko's personality was either HOT or COLD in 'The Last Airbender' and he really had a lot to work out as a character. I think that is why I really enjoyed watching him grow. But unfortunately Zuko was never able to make the right choice the first time...or the second time...and was a little iffy the third time. It really took him a while. But in my mind that inability to change, or unwillingness to see what is right in front of him speaks volumes about his character to me.

And Sokka...well Sokka is my favorite character which is why I still refuse to see the new live action movie, mainly because from what I hear, Sokka isn't Sokka anymore and without the real Sokka the ATLA movies just wont be the same.

Thanks for letting me ramble...I still have quite a bit planned for these guys. I really hope ya'll enjoy.

MMM

Chapter 7: Quick

MMM

Zuko didn't return that night, Sokka thought maybe Azula was keeping the prince for some reason but logic told him Zuko was probably avoiding the room.

Sokka didn't mind though because it gave him more time to plan his escape, he could worry about his relationship with the prince at a later time. Sokka had already organized and repacked his bag, which made him realize that he would need to get more food for Kohaku soon.

The scroll that Sokka had stolen had been about an earth nation fleet that Sokka didn't really care for but it was also a map of the fire nation. Sokka had finally gotten his map and while it wasn't really detailed it still pointed out major roads and towns.

He could use it to figure out where he was and try to track down his sister, Aang and Toph.

Aang was still alive and they were still going to invade the fire nation during the eclipse, he just needed to find them and make sure everything was going smoothly. He even stole a an extra blanket from the prince when he had asked a guard for one, not stepping out of the room but by poking his head out of the door and whistling as whoever passed by.

He had stuff to ensure Kohaku would be warm and fed and a map but Sokka knew he would need to find a job after he was safely away from the port they were landing at so he could earn food for himself. It wouldn't do any good if he ended up starving before he found his friends.

He would have to find a safe place for Kohaku during the invasion but Sokka would have to worry about that later.

Right now his main problem was figuring out a way off the ship. He hadn't seen the deck since he had been taken on the ship and he couldn't see anything out of the window that would seem helpful. He knew the fire nation would have to have some sort of life craft on the ship if he had to go out by boat but Sokka was also hoping to just walk down to the dock.

Maybe Zuko would let him out of the ship and then he could just take off.

But if he came across any fire benders or any thieves he didn't have any weapons to protect himself. It would be hard enough to run away with Kohaku in his arms but Sokka wanted to make sure he could put up a fight if something did happen.

It was when Sokka was looking for spark rocks (knowing it was a wasted search because Zuko was a fire bender but it didn't hurt to try) that he found a small dagger. The water tribe stared at it before he unsheathed it and found an inscription on the side.

"Don't give up without a fight…." Sokka read aloud as he flicked the blade with his wrist before sheathing it back.

"Uncle gave that to me after he tore down Ba Sing Se's outer wall." Sokka jumped slightly before he turned to see Zuko holding a tray of food.

Sokka found it hard to look the prince in the face while he was plotting an escape so he settled for staring at the floor. He watched Zuko's feet approach him before the prince placed the tray on the floor in front of Sokka then held out his hand for the dagger.

Sokka didn't want to let go of the dagger, he had finally found a weapon he could use to defend himself but he had to give it to Zuko. He didn't want the prince to get suspicious about his behavior. Zuko's hand clasped around Sokka's when the water tribe teen tried to place the dagger in it, his warm fingers sliding down to Sokka's elbow as he scooted closer the water tribe teen.

Sokka remained still as the prince closed the distance between them, the tray of food being pushed to the side before the prince caressed the side of Sokka's face gently pushing Sokka's face up so that the water tribe teen would have to face him.

The bluest eyes Zuko had ever known stared the at the prince's golden ones making Zuko tense. "I'm sorry."

"No Zuko, you're not." Sokka stated plainly as pushed himself out of Zuko's grip and walked away from the prince. "It's okay though."

The last words were whispered but when Zuko looked up at the teen who was now sliding the dagger he hadn't given back on the table, he saw that Sokka was smirking at him. The water tribe teen sat back on the bed and hummed a bit as he stared down at the prince as if expecting something.

"You said you were mad at me last night?" Zuko stared at Sokka questioningly.

"I asked you to leave then..." Sokka left the end of the sentence open and Zuko got up and made his way to over to the younger teen.

"But….." Zuko reached out and stoked the side of Sokka's face, the other teen visibly wincing at the contact before Zuko sighed. "I know I scared you."

Sokka glared at Zuko. "I'm not scared of you."

Sokka closed his eyes when Zuko leaned towards him, his own body leaning a little forward so that he could meet Zuko part way only he didn't feel lips against his. Instead there was breath against his face that forced Sokka to open his eyes and look at Zuko with confusion before the prince smirked down at him.

"You should be…" Zuko shoved Sokka down gently on the bed before he scooted them both on the bed.

Sokka stared at the ceiling as he felt Zuko undo his belt and open his tunic. The prince's hands were rough against his skin despite their gentle caresses on the teen's body. Sokka had come to the conclusion that he wasn't going to see Zuko again after this, and if he did, he was sure they would be enemies.

Zuko loved him.

Sokka couldn't deny the prince's feelings, but he also couldn't deny his duty to help Aang take down the fire lord. Zuko's father was a bad man and while Sokka found that he couldn't say Zuko was evil the fact that the teen was going back to his father, the fact Zuko refused to see that his father was wrong made Zuko on the wrong side.

Sokka would die before he let his son live in a world controlled by the fire nation.

His Son….

Sokka closed his eyes as he felt a kiss against his stomach.

Zuko.

Zuko was going to be pissed after he ran away, the prince might even chase after him, but there was one positive thought about that. Zuko was really good at chasing, but he was terrible at catching so at least Sokka didn't have to worry too much.

Sokka couldn't hold back the little laugh at his own mental joke and suddenly Zuko was leaning over him with a small glare. "I'm offended that your mind seems to be wandering."

"It's not wandering, I just thought it was funny that you thought you could actually pleasure me." Sokka smiled at Zuko before he was suddenly grinded against making him groan. "Ohh…"

"Was that a challenge?" Zuko whispered against Sokka's lips as he kissed the teen but as soon as Sokka opened his mouth to deepen the kiss he pulled away.

Sokka groaned as Zuko seemed to be teasing every sense of his body before he grabbed the back of Zuko's hair. He enjoyed the feel of the other teen's hair in between his fingers as he pulled it slightly making Zuko grimace.

Sokka hoped that Zuko would forgive him for leaving.

He didn't know why it should matter.

But it did.

Sokka pulled Zuko down for a harsh kiss growling until the older teen finally let him deepen it. The prince groaned in approval as he threw off his tunic and then started working on Sokka's pants. Sokka lifted his hips in approval before suddenly Zuko was gone.

Sokka blinked before he realized the prince was returning now with that small bottle of oil, but the prince didn't have time to put it to use because he was grabbed and tossed down on the bed, this time Sokka crawled on top of him. The water tribe teen kissed Zuko roughly, biting the older teen's lips and then sucking on the abused fleshed. His hands trailed up Zuko's arms until his hand came into contact with that small bottle and he snatched it away quickly.

"When do we reach shore?" Sokka started grind against the prince causing Zuko to moan.

"Any time now…" Zuko tried to catch his breath before he grabbed onto to Sokka's hand that was holding onto the bottle. "Want me to?"

Sokka blushed as Zuko sat up and kiss his neck while taking the bottle out of his hand once again. The prince's hands wrapping around Sokka and the water tribe teen pressed against the prince as he heard the bottle open.

Some of it dripped onto Sokka's back making him shiver at the cold liquid slid down. Zuko coated his hand and started massaging between Sokka's cheeks before he kiss the teen's chin. Sokka took deep breaths as he tried to relax himself, a finger was in and it wasn't as awkward as Sokka remembered it being but it still felt weird.

Zuko had one hand trying to stretch Sokka out and the other holding the teen up. He watched as the blue eyes closed before nipped Sokka's collar bone to get the teen's attention, Sokka's face flushing as he looked down at the prince.

"Since my hands are full you're going to need to touch yourself." Zuko hummed against Sokka's skin. "I'm sure you have plenty of practice."

"I won't deny that." Sokka gasped as he started to stroke himself before he smirked and positioned himself a little lower so that he could grab Zuko's erection as well. The prince moaned and Sokka smirked before he felt another finger enter him.

This position was awkward, a little uncomfortable for what they were both doing but Sokka wanted to be on top. He felt Zuko start thrusting against his hand creating a great friction between their bodies. Sokka moaned as he felt the fingers go deeper in him and pressed himself tightly against Zuko.

"I'm ready…" He gasped as he felt lights flicker in his eyes and Zuko oiled himself before the bottle fell to the ground with a clank and Sokka lifted himself up as Zuko scooted down a bit so that they both could be more comfortable.

Sokka held onto Zuko tightly, knowing he was scraping the prince's skin as he lowered himself down. Zuko's hands firmly gripping his hips as the prince pulled Sokka into a kiss. Sokka gasped as he finally slid down all the way and took a deep breath.

"Amazing…." Zuko whispered before he kissed Sokka gingerly.

They were never going to do this again.

Sokka gasped as he started moving his hips before his body had fully adjusted. He held onto Zuko's neck keeping the prince's mouth against his. Zuko gasped as Sokka started moving his hips faster before he finally pulled away so that he was panting against the teen.

Sokka was probably never going to see Zuko again.

"Am I hurting you?" Zuko's hand was wiping the side of Sokka's face as the other teen looked at the prince in confusion. "You're crying…."

Sokka smashed his face into Zuko's not wanting to talk, they were in the middle of sex and suddenly Zuko looked like he wanted to talk. What the hell was wrong with that prince?

Sokka's thought was interrupted as the ship slowed drastically sending both him and Zuko to the side and the prince continued their roll over to that Sokka was on his back as he smiled down at the teen. Sokka just held on as Zuko quickened his pace.

"Seems like we're finally at the port." Zuko whispered in Sokka's ear and the teen underneath the prince groaned.

"You really need to work on your sex talk." Sokka gasped as Zuko gave a hard thrust making the water tribe teen tense. Sokka couldn't hold on any longer as he felt Zuko hit that spot inside him.

Zuko licked Sokka's neck before he bit down it, his body go rigid as he thrust as deep as he could into the teen beneath him. He enjoyed the feeling of Sokka grasping onto him as if his life depended on it, how the teen was panting harshly and his warm breath against Zuko's skin.

The stayed in that position for a while, Sokka's back screaming at him to kick the prince off but he didn't want to let go yet. Not just yet. Sokka felt his heart hammer in his chest as he pulled Zuko up a bit so that they were face to face, he had to do this before he left, it was the very least he could do for Zuko.

"He's yours." Sokka gasped and Zuko looked confused.

"What?"

"Kohaku….I'm sure you already knew this…." Sokka pulled Zuko into a quick kiss before he let his head fall back so that he no longer look Zuko in the face as he closed his eyes. "He's your son."

"Sokka…" Zuko pulled out causing Sokka to hiss before he pulled the other teen up so that they were face to face. "Sokka look at me."

Sokka opened his eyes slowly before he was pulled into a bruising kiss. Zuko grabbed Sokka face and kissed his forehead before he looked at Sokka in confusion. "Why….why are you telling me this now?"

Sokka felt his heart stop for a second. Did Zuko know his plans? There was no way the prince had figured it out, Sokka took a deep breath before he met Zuko's gaze and he sighed. Zuko had a valid question, Sokka had been denying it vehemently since Kohaku had been born, why admit it now.

"I just wanted…." Sokka sat up and stretched his back. Zuko followed suit in the same action so that they were sitting next to each other. "He's your son, I say that now so that….if in the future…..something happens, regardless of how mad I ever get at you, he will still be your son."

"Are you planning to get mad at me soon?" Zuko teased before he pulled Sokka into a quick kiss. "Thank you, Sokka."

There was a knock at the door and the prince groaned as a guard apologized on the other side letting him know that Azula wanted his presence on the deck so they could go into town. Zuko growled before he went into the washroom to clean up quickly, pulling Sokka in with him with a smirk.

"Do you want me to bring you anything from the port?" Zuko whispered as he climbed over Sokka in the bath water he had just pushed the other teen into.

Sokka took it as a hint that he was not going to be allowed to the port but he hadn't been expecting much. His plan would still go on.

"I could use a hair tie." Sokka smirked before he let Zuko hands roam his body in the bath.

He could enjoy this moment before the prince left.

He could let Zuko enjoy this moment.

It wouldn't be too long before he was running again and this time he would be on his own with a baby and alone in the fire nation.

But he had to do this.

MMM

Sokka held Kohaku tight to him as he made his way down the hall. The ship was practically empty minus a few random guards every now and then and Zuko had left with his sister and friends almost an hour ago.

It took a little longer for Sokka to find where the ship was docked because he knew fire nation ships were different from the ones he was used to in the water tribe. When he finally opened the door to be blinded by light he was happy to see that once again, there were no guards. Sokka didn't bother wasting his time as he walked off the ship, the docks were busy with travelers loading and unloading their ships and Sokka did his best to blend in.

It wasn't until he was leaning against a wall in an alley of the small port town that Sokka finally took a deep breath.

This had been too easy.

A group of soldiers passed by causing Sokka to tense but they paid the teenager no mind. Sokka closed his eyes and took a moment to relax, Kohaku was staring up at him in curiosity.

First thing he needed to do was find out where he was.

"Hey you!" Sokka froze and turned to see a guard looking at him in confusion. The guard didn't have his mask on so Sokka could see the flash of realization pass his face before the water tribe took off running. "HEY!"

"I knew it was too easy!" Sokka swore under his breath as he turned down another alley way and booked it. It was easier to run with Kohaku than Sokka would have thought it was, his son gripping onto Sokka's tunic as the teen onto the boy tightly.

There was more shouting behind him and Sokka figured that the guard had gotten help. He ducked into a doorway only to find himself face to face with a tea shop full of soldiers.

Karma really did hate him.

"Huh?" Was all Sokka heard from one of the men before he ran through the shop and into the kitchens so he could make it out the back door. He jumped over a box only to find himself being blocked from the road by a carriage that stopped right in front of his exit.

He didn't have time for this!

Sokka opened the door to the carriage and slid in before slamming it shut behind him. He could at least hide in there until the guards passed. There was a glint in the light and Sokka froze as he felt a blade press against his neck as he finally registered the older man sitting across from him with a frown.

"Not smart to rob a carriage with out any weapons." The man spoke slowly as the flat side of his sword pressed firmer on Sokka's skin as the teen paled.

"I'm not trying to rob you…" Sokka whispered pleading before a small cry reached his ears.

The sword was removed as the man leaned forward to see the baby in Sokka's arms as Sokka tried to quiet Kohaku down, he probably over did it with jumping the boxes. Then there was a scuffle outside the carriage and Sokka froze as he heard guards yelling at each other, giving off directions. Sokka then turned to the older man who had put away his sword at the sight of a child.

"Please, let me hide out here until they leave, I won't stay any longer and I wont ask you for anything else…." Sokka hated begging but he didn't have any other choice at the moment. "Please mister…."

There was a loud knock in the carriage door and Sokka froze as the older man frowned at the teen. The man then pulled the curtain to the door open slightly so only he was seen and Sokka tried to shrink back into the darkness and he hushed Kohaku.

"Can I help you?" The man stared at the soldier boredly.

"Did you see a young boy with a baby run by here?" The guard asked stiffly and the stranger who suddenly held Sokka's future in his hands just sighed.

"May I ask why you are looking for them?" The man asked as he gave Sokka a quick glance and Sokka felt his stomach drop.

"The boy is a prisoner to the fire nation, he should be considered dangerous."

Sokka scoffed at that before he muttered, "Not as dangerous as you fire bending bastards…" And then cursed himself as the man in the carriage had obviously heard him. He was going to get sold out because of his stupid mouth and his stupid opinion, there was a good chance that this man was a fire bender.

"If I see him I will report it to the authorities." The man smirked and while he wasn't looking at Sokka the teen knew the look was for him. Sokka felt a great weight leave his back as he heard the soldier walk away and the man that had saved him turned his attention back to Sokka. "A prisoner?"

Sokka opened his mouth to correct the man, after all Zuko had said he wasn't a prisoner but then what was he suppose to consider himself? He couldn't tell this man that he was the fire nation's prince's temporary lover who had decided to runaway because he needed to help his friends plan an invasion of the fire nation so they could over throw the fire lord. Sokka blinked as he realized he was staring at the older man with his mouth open before he sighed and sat back in the temporary seat.

"I guess I was a prisoner." Sokka mumbled before there was another knock at the door.

"Master Piandao, are you ready to head home?" A stern voice asked outside the carriage and Sokka perked up, he would need to sneak outside the town if the guards were telling people he was an escaped prisoner.

"Very well." Piandao glanced back at Sokka before he opened the door to the carriage to talk to, Sokka guessed his servant, that had been talking to him. "Actually could you get me some tea before we head off, and bring an extra cup for my guest."

The servant leaned a bit so that he could look in the carriage in confusion as he frowned at Sokka before nodding to his master. "Anything else master?"

"Ah…" Sokka started but then shut his mouth knowing that he shouldn't ask for anything.

"Yes son?" Piandao had caught Sokka's slip and the teen sighed as he bowed his head deeply.

"I don't need any tea but I would like some hot water for…." Sokka sat up and looked at his son who was frowning and looking like he was about to complain any moment. "So I can feed him."

"So tea, hot water…and maybe something to eat, we will be on the road for a while." Piandao smiled at his butler and the man bowed before leaving and Piandao shut the door to the carriage while looking at Sokka. "I will take you to the next town if you wish, might be easier to avoid the soldiers who are after you."

And Zuko.

Sokka felt a small sting, but forced himself to suck it up before he started rocking Kohaku back and forth. "Shhh, I'll feed you as soon as I get some water."

The baby glared at him as if to say 'I would have hot water if we didn't leave the ship' but Sokka just sighed before he continued rocking and looked at the older man who appeared to be studying him. "Thank you."

"Care to tell me what is going on?" The old man asked light heartedly as he sat back and folded his arms in front of Sokka.

"It's a long story." Sokka sighed.

"We have a long trip to make on this thing." Piandao patted the carriage before there was another knock at the door. It was the servant and he handed his master the things that were asked for before shutting the door again with a bow and the carriage started rolling.

Sokka took the hot water first and quickly pulled out Kohaku's bottle and the powder, mixing the two and then promptly putting the bottle in front of Kohaku so that baby could eat, while his own stomach was reminding him that he hadn't eaten since that morning he would just wait until Kohaku was done.

"You're awfully young to be a parent." Piandao stated but there was nothing negative in his tone and it made Sokka smile as he stared at his son.

"How'd you know he was mine?" Sokka looked up at the older man to see the man smiled down at him.

"You look too happy to be feeding him." Piandao took a sip of his tea.

"He wasn't…..planned." Sokka stated not really wanting to get into the details with a stranger but he could at least let the man know the truth about some things. "I was separated from my friends in…..another city."'

Sokka didn't know if he should tell this man that he wasn't fire nation, after all the man might have been sympathetic to him but that didn't make him any less likely to change his mind and turn Sokka in.

"Then I was taken by Zu…by the soldiers because they connected me with some people who are against the fire lord and then….." Sokka didn't want to say any names but he was trying to let the man know what had happened without seeming like a threat, Sokka wanted to destroy the fire lord, not the nice citizens who helped him out. "I escaped from them as soon as we made port because I was afraid of what would happen to me and my son when we reached the capital."

Which was true.

Sokka had been worried about what would happen to them when the made it to the capital, it wasn't like he was going to marry Zuko, stop the war, and then happily ever after once he was at the palace.

"That wasn't very long." Piandao said with a hint of amusement and Sokka relaxed before he looked down to see Kohaku had finished the bottle, and was yawning at him in satisfaction.

Sokka sat back and put Kohaku on his chest so that the baby was on his stomach and started rubbing up and down his son's back. This guy seemed trust worthy enough and he had brought Sokka food and drink. As soon as Kohaku was asleep Sokka pulled the spare blanket out of his bag and made a make shift bed for his son to sleep in so that he could eat.

"So what's your name?" Piandao asked as he handed Sokka a cup of tea, his eyes glancing every now and then to the sleeping baby.

"I'm Sokka."

MMM

MMM

MMM

MMM

Until next time!


End file.
